East Lincoln falls in state quarterfinals

Jerry Zeller scored on a putback from right in front of the goal, and the celebration was on.

A contest that was toe-to-toe for more than 100 minutes ended with Zeller’s shot sending Shelby to a 2-1 double-overtime win against East Lincoln in the 2A state soccer quarterfinals on Saturday night.

“It’s just something we’ve got to do on all our shots,” said Zeller, a senior forward. “It’s just basic following up the shooter. I can think of plenty of times during the regular play of the game that we could have done that, but nobody was looking for it. It’s just the luck of the situation, I guess, really just right timing.”

His goal came just 29 seconds into sudden-death overtime off a deflected Matthew McMurray shot. The teams had gone scoreless in the first 20 minutes of extra play. The victory kept alive the Golden Lions’ quest for three consecutive state championships.

“The kids played hard for both teams. They’ve got a great side over there,” Shelby coach David Steeves said. “It’s a tough win (for us) and a tough loss for them.”

Shelby (24-1) hosts Salisbury (22-1-1) in the 2A West finals on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The visiting Mustangs (17-7-2) jumped to a 1-0 lead on a Brett Bowen goal off a Darin Salter assist at the 28:37 mark of the first half, then sought to ride their defense the rest of the way.

But junior forward Phillip Richards’ header was the culmination of numerous Shelby chances in the second half, tying it 1-1 with 13:24 remaining in regulation.

“I kept my mind focused on the ball and placed it in the net,” Richards said.

Steeves was pleased with the way Richards took advantage of a pass from Manning Burton.

“That’s just a ball that somebody’s got to go get,” Steeves said. “He was the one that went and got it, did a great job to go get it, put it in the back of the net.”

The teams settled in from that point, though both had their chances in the first 20 minutes of overtime.

“We had great effort. I thought we started attacking them (in overtime),” East Lincoln coach Jason Dragoon said. “I honestly thought we were going to get the game-winner.”

Then came sudden-death play, and Zeller ended it quickly, setting off a spirited celebration.

Though the celebration was fun, the lead-up wasn’t as enjoyable for the Golden Lions.

“I’d rather not win like that,” Zeller said. “But when you do, it’s a good feeling.”

Dragoon’s team, which got what he called a “stellar” effort in goal from Andrew Campbell, was left to consider what might have been.

“They earned that ball, but at the same time he’s lucky he’s sitting right there when the guy mishits it,” Dragoon said of the final sequence.

When it comes to the matchup with Salisbury, Zeller said Shelby knows the formula for success at this stage of the season.

“We’ve had a lot of players that have been in the regional championship before,” Zeller said. “So it’s just a matter of us showing up to play and doing what we know to do.”

J.C. Johnson was in goal for Shelby in the win.