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Park Center shuts out Roseville for eighth straight win

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 09/24/16, 7:00AM CDT

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The Pirates got goals from Brenton Brakke and Clement Kamara in the 2-0 victory.


Park Center senior Brenton Brakke and Roseville's Jorge Radilla elevate to play the ball during the first half of Saturday afternoon's match at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park. The Pirates defeated the Raiders 2-0. Photo by Drew Herron


Park Center senior midfielder Clement Kamara scored the Pirates' second goal during Saturday's 2-0 win over Roseville. Photo by Drew Herron

Park Center found itself needing to adopt a new brand of soccer after the departure of all-state forward Sam Moses last season.

“The way we played last year, we knew we’d have to be more multi-dimensional,” Pirates coach Jason Barnhouse said.

Brenton Brakke, the team’s top defender, developed chemistry this summer playing with fellow defender Chad Korby and midfielder Fuad Tahir, who is the team’s set piece kicker.

That chemistry showed just seven minutes in as Brakke scored off the Pirates’ first free kick en route to a 2-0 victory over Roseville Saturday afternoon at Park Center High School.

Noticing Korby’s height advantage on the field, Brakke kept moving upfield where Korby placed an open ball off a flicked header for Brakke, who fired a shot opposite side on a 1-on-1 with Raiders keeper Cody Barrett.

“(Tahir’s) really great at free kicks and I play with him the summer too so I get them year round,” Brakke said after his second goal of the season. 

Tahir leads the state with 14 assists on the season as he’s fed his teammates, who’ve gradually become more feverish through the season in adjusting to their new roles.

“We seen from teams in past years where they crash the goal and create havoc and somehow, someway someone gets a toe on the ball and poke it in,” Brakke said. “It’s a real easy way to score goals.”

Park Center (10-1-1) had tried crashing the net on set pieces and often failed at producing any scoring chances, but goalkeeper Salvador Salado said this year's been the opposite.

“I don’t know what it was but it wouldn’t work. But this year there’s definitely a different intensity and we realize this is how you get goals in high school,” goalkeeper Salado said.

Salado boasts a .904 save average after Saturday’s game, ranking amongst the best goalkeepers in the state.

He credits his defensive group for his success as he faced just two shots against the Raiders (4-4-3).

“My whole back line I’ve known for almost my whole soccer life,” Salado said. “That’s what helps us win games.”

Ranked sixth in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, the Pirates have won eight straight game and have matched last year’s regular season total with four games left in the season.

Despite this year’s success, it hasn’t come without its hardships. Senior defender Jet Thephanonxay, who was a starter last year, was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and may miss the rest of the season.

But after rolling through Roseville and much of its Northwest Suburban Conference competition which plays in Class 2A, Section 5, Park Center knows what it'll take to make it back to the state tournament with a newfound style.

“(Barnhouse’s) heavily emphasized the words ‘do your job’ during our season and that’s what gets us going and working hard," Salado says.

First Report

Branton Brakke and Clement Kamara scored for the Pirates in a 2-0 shutout over Roseville Saturday afternoon at Park Center High School.

Ranked sixth in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, the Pirates (10-1-1) have won eight straight games, six of which they’ve held their opponent scoreless.

Brakke found the back of the net off Park Center’s first free kick at the 7-minute mark.

Kamara used his footwork to slip the ball through a defenders legs and shot past Roseville (4-4-3) keeper Cody Barrett in the second half.

Barrett finished the game with nine saves while the Pirates’ Salvador Salado stopped both two shots he faced.

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