Trailing by one goal with just two minutes to play, Roseville’s Hsinku Lay unleashed a wicked shot from 40 yards out that beat East Ridge’s diving junior goalie Sam Richardson.
Lay’s goal pulled the Raiders into a 1-1 tie with the Raptors and forced overtime, where neither team scored as the game Tuesday night at Roseville High School end in a draw.
The goal, which that Lay described as the best of his high school career, came of the senior defender’s left foot, a remarkable feat considering it is his non-dominant foot. But after what Lay’s been through in life, it’s remarkable
just to be on a soccer field in Minnesota, it’s remarkable that he’s a captain on a high school soccer team.
He is Karen, an ethnic group that makes up about seven percent of the total population in the Southeast Asian country of Burma. A civil war between the Burmese and the Karen forced Lay’s mother to flee the while she was pregnant and gave birth to Lay in a forest.
His family moved to a refugee camp in Thailand, where they spent a decade working on their small farm. Lay watered the plants and washed the animals. He also took care of his little sister while his parents were trying to take advantage of a slim job market.
Lay and his family moved to the United States in 2006 and he said he learned how to fit into American society.
“I was surprised and afraid at the same time,” Lay added. “You know nothing about this place that you’re stepping into and you have no idea what they do or what language they spoke, and we just got to go along with what they do. You just got to learn how to fit into it.”
Along with being on the Roseville soccer team, Lay is also a member of the Raiders wrestling team, competing at the 160-pound weight class. He finish last year with a 30-12 record and participated in the Class 3A state wrestling tournament, a result of his hard work.
In the first round of the Section 4 tournament, Lay beat his opponent 9-2. Following a loss in the semifinals, he was placed in the wrestleback bracket. Lay pinned his next two opponents to capture third place and earn a true-second match, where he upended his opponent 7-2 to secure a trip to the state tournament.
Roseville soccer coach Agapitos Papagapitos described Lay as tough and strong.
“He’s the epitome of leadership,” Papagapitos said. “He does not ask anybody to do anything that he won’t do. The kids half love, half fear him. The younger players really follow his leading. If I had to go to a tough game, I don’t know that I would choose a different guy to go to that game with because he just won’t quit.”
It’s an mentality that is evident in many of the stories about Lay.
Papagapitos said that Lay broke his thumb but still pinned his opponent during a wrestling match. He also said Lay continued dribbling a soccer ball with his feet while keeping a hand over a gash on his forehead, a wound that was eventually closed with several stitches.
Lay’s determination has rubbed off on the team. Despite the loss of 12 seniors, the Raiders have an 8-3-1 overall record this year and are riding a four-game unbeaten streak, including a 1-0 victory over No.2-ranked Minnetonka on Saturday.
It’s quite a turnaround from last year, when the team finished the regular season with an 5-8-1 record before being bounced by eventual state-runner up Wayzata 1-0 in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinals.
Lay said the Roseville had a different dynamic last season.
“Last year we had a bunch of size and aggressiveness, but this year we have more mentally for the game of soccer,” he said. “We lost a bunch of seniors and we got to step it up this year in order to compete with the other schools.”
Papagapitos said Lay is a cornerstone for the Raiders’ success.
“Not only is he a good player, but he’s the guy who will take you on his back, he will lift a team up,” Papagapitos said. “He’s not afraid to play against the best players.”
Lay has a promising road ahead of him, Papagapitos said.
“I think he has a lot of future ahead of him. I think he’s going to play in college,” Papagapitos said. “More importantly, I think he’s going to become a very, very solid person in his community.”
The journey from Burma to Roseville has been a long one for Lay. But no matter what happens this season for the Raiders, Lay will be seen as the team’s fearless leader.
“I sometimes will jokingly say to the kids, ‘Hey (Lay) are you afraid?’ He goes, ‘No, I’m not afraid of anything,’” Papagapitos said. “How can he be afraid of anything after where he came from.”
