Penalty kicks doom Eagles in soccer opener

A pair of penalty kicks proved to be the difference as Shelbyville Central lost 3-1 in their season opener to visiting Oakland on Tuesday night.

The Eagles (0-1) fell behind 2-0 at the half but played much better in the final 40 minutes.

"We didn't play very well in the first half but I thought we played much better in the second half and played with a lot more intensity," Central coach Neal Gordon said. "It's disappointing the game is decided by two PK's."

Julien Kehl scored first for the Patriots 14 minutes into the game while Connor McCollom made the most of a PK at the 31 minute mark of the first half.

Austin Hornsby's PK increased Oakland's lead to 3-0 early in the second half.

Shelbyville's lone goal came off a rebound shot by sophomore Jose Pompa at the 11 minute mark of the second half.

"It's fair to say that this wasn't the way we wanted to start off the season but we'll have a number of opportunities to play better this weekend in the tournament," Gordon said,

The Eagles return to action this weekend in the Franklin County Rebel Tournament.