Avalanche 07’s advance to State Cup Finals after PK shootout

October 21, 2022, Salt Lake City, UT - As many soccer fans know, the outcome of a match isn’t always decided by the full time whistle. Oftentimes, teams find themselves in a deadlock which requires a high intensity PK shootout to determine who will be moving on. While luck does play a role in who is able to emerge with the victory, having a talented goalkeeper can also play a factor, and that’s exactly what helped the Avalanche Boys 07 EC advance to the finals on Saturday.

At the end of full time and a few extra minutes of OT, Avalanche and the Sparta B07 Elite 64’s were tied 1-1. Despite conceding an early goal, Avalanche equalized later in the match and were headed for a shootout.

“We always have the tendency to take it to PK shootouts in big games like this,” Avalanche goalie Bennett Ewing said. “They went up early on us and we just had to fight the rest of the game to get back in it. Eventually we got the equalizing goal…then we got down into PK’s and you’ve just got to give it everything because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Into the shootout, the two teams traded goals and even a few misses to keep things even. After facing so many shots, Ewing said the most important thing was to remain focused and try to make a save.

“My mind set is just be calm, cool, and collected…Its only twelve yards out, the ball is bound to get by you. But you’ve just got to keep your head in it and make the save,” He said.

Finally, after one of his teammates put them ahead by a goal, Ewing would make the biggest save of the match and help his team advance to the finals. As the shooter approached the spot, Ewing dove to his left and deflected the ball up and over the goal to seal the victory.

In response to the save, the whistle blew, the bench cleared and the team rushed their goalkeeper in celebration.

“Its unbelievable,” Ewing added. “It’s such an awesome feeling when you make that save, hear the whistle blow and see your team running down at you. Unbelievable feeling.”

With the victory, Ewing and his teammates have advanced to the finals and will face a talented La Roca 07B-J Milla team on Saturday.