Brookfield East stops Kimberly, move on at state soccer

Brookfield East blanked Kimberly, 2-0, Thursday evening in the WIAA State Quarterfinal match at Uihlein Soccer Park.

The Spartans scored at the 17 minute, 8 second mark when senior Trenton Daniels fed senior Ryan Toy the ball in front of the net on the left side and Toy headed the ball into the goal past Papermaker goalkeeper Mason Sauder.

That was all the scoring in the first half, as the Spartans dominated play and spent most of the first 40 minutes on Kimberly's side of the field.

The opening minutes of the game were made in a driving downpour and a strong wind.

Although sophomore goalkeeper Drew Johnson was credited with two official saves, he knocked away several more shots and frustrated Kimberly.

The key stretch in the game came when Johnson stopped three shots between the 66th-70th minute mark.

Then at 71:48, East got on the scoreboard when junior Ryan Dundun drilled in a shot to assure the victory with eight minutes left to play.

"Our chemistry is coming together," East coach Herbie Dundun said. "The boys are beginning to believe in themselves. We're moving the ball now."

Dundun then praised his goalkeepers' play.

"Drew has been a wonderful keeper for us," he said. "For being a rookie he is doing a super job. I'm just happy for his performance."

Johnson, drenched and freezing after the match, talked about his play on the big stage.

"I had to keep a level head. There's mistakes that I have made with my footwork that other people don't know - that only I do," he said. "I pushed that out of my head. I just did the best that I could and happened to get all of them."

After East scored the second goal, Johnson talked about his feelings.

"I was overjoyed. It was unbelievable. Unbelievable. Really unbelievable." 

Although it wasn't official after the game, Dundun knew who his next opponent would be - Greater Metro Conference Champion, Marquette, who went on to beat Eau Claire Memorial in the final match.  

"We know who we're going to face," Dundun said. "It's going to be a good game. We're going to be ready for them."

MUHS beat the Spartans, 3-1, on Sept. 25, rallying for three second-half goals