A short-handed Iola Blue and Gold Soccer Club came up just short on the scoreboard Sunday.
Iola hosted Independence in the team’s final regular season match of the year with first place in the Southeast Kansas League on the line.
Independence scored two first-half goals, then increased its lead to 3-0 early in the second half, before withstanding a furious Iola rally down the stretch.
Blue and Gold’s Matt Karr drove home a penalty kick with about 30 minutes left in the match, but several other scoring chances came up empty in the 3-1 loss. Iola missed on a pair of free kicks in the final 15 minutes, and Kendall Jay’s shot was blasted just left of the goal with about five minutes left.
The victory puts Iola in second place in the final SEK standings.
Braden Plumlee corralled eight saves.
Iola was without two of its leading scorers and its starting goalie, who missed the game because of other commitments.
“They were all at the high school graduation, where they should have been,” Iola coach Brek Ulrich said. “The kids played well. We just came up short.
“I was asked why I would schedule a soccer game at that time,” he continued with a laugh. “I had nothing to do with that. The schedules were set by the league.”
The traveling soccer team, consisting of players 14 and under travels to Leawood Saturday and Sunday for its final tournament of the year.
Short-handed Iola squad falls, 3-1
