The appropriate classification for Platte County Soccer this season is what can simply be described as a roller coaster ride with plentiful ups and downs throughout the fall season. This year compared to others has had a ton of huge switches in leadership coming from alumni such as Aj Shrick.
However this season it has been leadership that has been taken by senior defender Aidan Murray that could quite literally be described as pure cinema.
“[Four years of Platte County Soccer] has made me more mature as a person and a player”, Murray claimed. “It has also helped me come past obstacles in my life… I cannot thank the coaches enough for this once in a lifetime experience.”
Murray, being mentored immensely by the last senior class to be a goalkeeper this season was something that was a pastime for the defender. At club level Murray started his club career at a club called Alliance Futbol Club after persuasion from senior forward Tug Thornton. At the club he originally played goalkeeper.
After a season at goalkeeper, Murray desired a position on the field which led to the club transfer from Alliance to KC Blaze. In this club he was given a position in the midfield and in defense were he thrived throughout the Heartland Soccer Association.
However this passion for goalkeeper was reignited by Shrick who saw Murray’s potential at goalkeeper. This mentoring from Shrick has made a huge impact on his life as a player and a person.
“Schrick was the most noticeable captain for me that I have seen throughout my time here,” Murray proudly stated. “He was honestly one of my biggest role models and helped me a lot.”
He was the backup to current Senior starting goalkeeper Paul Havemeier, Murray had to step up last season after Havemeier suffered an injury [concussion] at Pirate Stadium against Staley Sept. 5, 2023.
Fast forward to this season with the loss of senior Julian Nemeth and junior Jackson Goodale with his full commitment to football, a huge gap was left for the position of captain for the team that Murray filled.
“It’s always a goal to be a team captain/leader, it was my goal to be a role model for the incoming freshmen class and I feel like this season so far I have fulfilled it,” he said. “There are obviously things I can improve on but everyone isn’t perfect.”
Murray fortunately was the one to rise to this scenario and based on former captain and alumni Daniel Bunge, ”he was always meant to be captain”.
Stepping back from a position (literally) we have to address the presence of “Paul the Wall” that being the name Havemeier received from the Platte County student section.
“That nickname came from the Grain Valley game (Sept. 19, 2022) my sophomore year when I saved a penalty,” Havemeier said. “I don’t know the name has just stuck with me because I am just a baller in goal.”
If you could find a defining moment and a turning point in your career in any sport, that penalty was a prime example with the absence of the starting goalkeeper at the time, alumni Jordan Hendrick.
Havemeier originally being a field player at the club level made the switch at his old club Unified Legacy FC where his father was the head coach of the team and he just threw him in goal for the same scenario as the absence of Hendrick, just with less significant circumstances.
From Unified, Havemeier has gone on as a goalkeeper to KC Athletics during the offseason his f
reshmen year followed by the transfer to Sporting City North for his sophomore and junior years during the time school ball was over.
Compared to last season when Havemeier won all-conference second team honors, he has had to drastically adjust the way he communicates with defenders.
“Last year I had a player from Denmark (alumni Fabian Risager) playing center back and he was nuts,” Havemeier remarked. “One of the key things that he brought was communication so I didn’t have to talk as much, however in the absence of that this season I have certainly had to up my communication
.”
Havemeier, being blessed with the ability to compete as a dual-sport athlete, has been a key factor with Platte County Tennis. The team, lead by Coach Zachary Keith, conquested to a second place finish at state with Havemeier dominating his No. 6 matchup 6-2 and 6-1 victory at state last season.
Having a group of seniors that includes defenders Bresner Garcia, Quinn Traas, and Murray being in sound express. Havemeier at goalkeeper being involved with tennis, as well as Thornton at forward being involved with journalism and sports marketing, this group of seniors can be described as one word. Versatile.
“We have a skilled senior class as far as the club side goes, however outside of soccer we have a multifaceted grou
p involved with all kinds of things.” Ashlyn Branley, Head coach of the soccer team said. “I think this group of seniors stands out in this aspect to us as coaches can’t wait to see all the great things they do!”
Coach Brantley has been coaching at Platte County for 15 years with over 150 wins on both the boys and girls soccer teams. Brantley’s prior experience before coaching was not only from her time at Oklahoma State University where she played NCAA Division I soccer, but it was her collective experience as a player overall and implementing what her coaches liked into her own style of play.
Her transition from 2009-2024 has been a piece of scenery that has drastically changed as time has gone on.
“When I first started coaching there weren’t as many players involved with club soccer,” she said. “I think the level of skill has increased from the previous teams that I have coached in the beginning.”
However compared to previous teams where current ones seem to fall short on is an aspect that at times is more important than anything on the field.
“Previous teams that I coached, though they have not been as skilled, had a tough mentality to get through not having as much talent,” Brantley said. “I think part of that could be a little better on the teams that we have now… But I think that goes along with a lot of the mental health things that we see occuring in the world much more so as we saw back then.”
Brantley is a firm believer that mental toughness is not something you can just devote your attention to on the field. Actions must be taken off the field to find more aspects and this something herself is improving on.
On Nov. 2, the MSHSAA Class 3 District 8 tournament took place with the top seeds in the district hosting the first round. If the Pirates win round 1 they would come back to Platte County High School for the remainder of the tournament because Platte County is hosting the tournament after being held at Pembroke Hill High School for the last two years.
“This season we have to beat one of those top four seeds to come back home and make sure we are playing on our home field,” Brantley stated.
Coach Brantley along with the help of her assistant coaches DJ Lugo and Justin Newkirk pepped the team in every way they can for their fated matchup against Smithville High School.
The Pirates came out victorious with an early opening goal off of a corner from junior midfielder, Ian Mathews. Platte County held the Warriors up for the rest of the first half only to concede halfway through the second half off a deflected shot off Havemeier’s gloves. The game was set at a stalemate for the passage or regulation time which led to two 15-minute halves of golden goal play. This ultimately led to the penalty shootout that lasted 8 rounds until shortly after senior midfielder Tug Thornton converted his penalty, the Warrior’s sent their penalty over the bar. Murray shortly after, took action of his captaincy and converted the game winning penalty to send the Pirates on their merry way with a 7-6 shootout win.
With this win, the Pirates had one day of practice to prepare for the reigning class 3 district champions, East (KC) High School who ended the Pirates season last year in the district championship.
The matchup took place on Nov. 4, 2024 which ultimately ended with the conclusion of the Pirates season with a final score of 1-5 where Garcia had a two-touch whack from about 40 yards out scoring an absolute screamer, giving the Pirates the last laugh.
The district was soon later determined two days later with the Van Horn Falcons knocking off the state champs 3-1 taking the high road to their sectional matchup against none other than familiar face for Platte County, Pembroke Hill.
From there in a district perspective, Van Horn would go on to the MSHSSA class 3 state semifinal and would fall in a penalty shootout to the current state champion, Ladue on Nov. 22, 2024 at Lindenwood University.
As the season concludes, Platte County Soccer can reflect on a journey filled with resilience, growth and memorable moments that will be cherished long after the final whistle. Murray and Havemeier left an indelible mark, embodying leadership and commitment that younger players will need to step up and try to emulate to the best of their abilities. Coach Brantley and her staff’s dedication to fostering both skill and mental toughness has set a foundation for future successes. Though the season didn’t end with the district title, the Pirates’ tenacity in the face of tough competition speaks volumes about the character. The seniors’ legacy of versatility, hard work, and passion will inspire future teams to reach new heights, both on and off the field.
