As they walked through the handshake line after a 2-1 loss to Carl Junction, the effects of exhaustion were evident in the faces and legs of the Neosho soccer Wildcat players.

Under the lights at Lions Field Monday night, Neosho played its 10th game in 11 days, and head coach Steve Schnackenberg admitted his players were gassed and weary at the end of the game.
As he spoke, the players walked slowly off the field frustrated after their fourth-straight loss.

“I didn’t get very deep on my bench today,” Schnackenberg said. “We have got to work on our schedule, and give these kids a chance. You can’t ask the kids to give more than what they gave tonight. They would try to make a cut, and their legs just gave up.”

The loss drops Neosho to 3-8 on the season.

There is little time for Neosho to regroup. The Wildcats will make the trip to Joplin today and face College Heights Christian School, starting at 4:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs led 2-0 at the half after goals by Stefan Klute, unassisted, and Logan Landis on a penalty kick.

Neosho, despite nearing the 800 minute mark of soccer played in the past 11 days, gave it a fight in the second half.

The Wildcats controlled the tempo of play in the final 20 minutes.

The Wildcats cut Carl Junction’s lead to 2-1 in the 62nd minute when Jordan Blevins scored on a penalty kick. Blevins was awarded the PK after being taken down in the box at the end of a wild flurry of activity that included the ball bouncing off the crossbar and goal post.

Neosho had several other chances to tie the game. Blevins had a shot sail wide with 11 minutes left to play, and Josh Jesperson sprinted to a loose ball in the box, but collided with Carl Junction goalkeeper Jeff Moore and defender Josh Sprenkle, the latter of which left the game with an injury. Moore made the save on the play.

Neosho outshot Carl Junction 9-4 in the game.

In JV action, Neosho picked up a 1-0 victory on a goal by Kyle Tomassetti in the final minutes of the game. He scored on a shot about 45 yards out after the goalkeeper played a ball off his feet.