An announcement of “Elvis has left the building” would have left a jubilant Roseville boys soccer team and a small Roseville crowd roaring at St. Louis Park on Thursday.
Elvis Barclay scored two goals as the Roseville Raiders upset the St. Louis Park Orioles in the Section 6 AA Soccer Tournament. Barclay scored the first goal at 14:57 in the first half for the halftime lead, 1-0. He added a second goal late in the game, 77:30, with a goal from the far left side.
“I have to credit my teammates,” Barclay said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”
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Barclay, who scored 12 goals during the regular season, helped the Raiders keep the North Suburban Conference champion Orioles off balance all night.
The Orioles had to keep up with a quick Raiders offense, and the home team struggled offensively with most of their shots coming from the outside. The Raiders defense kept the Orioles from getting good looks in the middle of Raider territory.
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“I was nervous, and every time I caught the ball, I was really happy,” Raiders goal keeper Jordan Burich said. “I just wanted to do it for my teammates.”
“They stopped them, so the shooters had to go around from the outside,” Burich said about the Raiders defense.
Raiders coach Agapitos Papagapitos saw his team come of age with the 2-0 win. The Orioles brought extra shots down the stretch, but the Raiders defense continue to force them into weaker shots.
“It’s a sign of maturation," Papagapitos said. “You know exactly where you are on the field. You know exactly how much time there is on the clock and you play to win.”
The Raiders advance to play Minneapolis South on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the section semifinal game.
“We’re going to go hard at them,” Burich said. “We’re excited already.”
And Elvis can leave the building again with a win.
