Republic rolled out a fresh defensive setup on Thursday, and Santino Stiglianese continued his prolific scoring season in a 4-2 win at Monett. Stiglianese scored all four goals for Republic — all of them in the second half.
“We had difficulty getting things to go our way for maybe the first 30-35 minutes,” said coach Jesus Zuniga. After halftime, Republic fell behind twice, but Zuniga said he was proud of his team for continuing to fight back from deficits.
“We were down twice and found a way to keep digging and digging,” he said. “The boys never gave up, and for us to bounce back after a tough loss, I’m proud of them.” Republic lost to Nixa 1-0 in a penalty kick shootout Tuesday.
Freshman Koal Williams started the game in goal after an injury to Xavier Ulshafer. Williams has been playing as a defender, but in goal for the first time Thursday, he made nine saves — not a surprising outcome to Zuniga, based on what he’s seen from Williams since he joined the team.
“He’s a true student of the game. He’s a team player,” Zuniga said of Williams. “He wants to make coaches and teammates happy. He will always put his team first.”
Zuniga praised the entire defensive line, which underwent a transition as Williams moved into the goal box. Kleber Perez also caught Zuniga’s attention. “Kleber broke out of his shell tonight and showed several moments of brilliance,” Zuniga said.
Brayden Tharp and Diego Zuniga each assisted Stiglianese in his scoring.
After overcoming deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, Republic took a 3-2 lead and didn’t let up. “Once we got the lead, we kept going at them,” Zuniga said. “It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of them for never giving up.”
The win boosts Republic’s record to 7-5. Monett falls to 10-3. The Tigers will play in the Kickapoo Tournament this weekend, starting tomorrow with a game against Capital City.
