Leckie last second goal in OT lifts Trojans over West Point

With under a minute to go in the second and final overtime period, New Kent’s home soccer opener with West Point’s Pointers appeared on the verge of a 2-2 tie.

But the Trojans’ Kyle Leckie wanted no part of a deadlock.

Taking a pass just outside the box from teammate Travis Nice, Leckie hooked a shot high and over the head of Pointer keeper Alex Dixon. The ball found the right corner of the goal to hand New Kent a 3-2 lead. The hosts then weathered the last few seconds to secure their first win and even their record at 1-1.

“We wanted to make it as hard as possible,” said a relieved Clinton Leckie, the Trojan coach, after the March 24 non-district match.

“We got really flat for about 20 minutes and stopped possessing the ball,” he said. “We got away from our game plan. It seemed like we were just standing around and watching, and that’s what hurt us.”

New Kent owned the first half, allowing just three West Point shots on goal. Approaching the 25-minute mark, Jared Dickerson took an Adam Harper pass and drilled a long-range shot past Dixon for a 1-0 lead.

The advantage stood until four minutes into the second half when Harper, with an assist from Dickerson, lofted a shot over Dixon to build a 2-0 lead.

Ten minutes later, however, Trojan keeper Dylan Coons made an aggressive lunge away from the goal to stop a shot attempt by West Point’s Ole Hostvedt. But Hostvedt got enough foot on the ball to deliver a slow roller into an open net and close the gap to 2-1.

The freak goal switched momentum to the Pointers. For the next 18 minutes, the Trojans never got off a shot.

At the 19-minute mark, the Pointers’ Dillon Davis drove past New Kent defenders for an open shot past Coons to create the 2-2 deadlock. Seconds later, the hosts caught a break as an apparent West Point go-ahead goal was nullified by an offsides violation.

Both teams had opportunities to avoid overtime. With just under three minutes left, Harper unleashed a shot from close range, but Dixon registered a save. Then in the closing seconds, the Pointers’ Marcus Swedo challenged Coons, but the Trojan keeper smothered the shot.

During the break between regulation and overtime, Leckie offered his team some advice.

“I said, ‘Look, we’ve given them this, so let’s take it back and play like we did in the first half,’” he said.

For the match, New Kent held an 18-14 edge in shots. Coons registered nine saves while Dixon stopped five shots.