In the penalty kick round, it's the goalkeeper vs. the shooter.
Jefferson City keeper Nick Ryan is just fine with that matchup.
"I don't really think about it, I just let my instincts take over and relax," Ryan said.
Ryan's instincts led to two saves in four shots in the penalty kick round Monday night as the Jays defeated the Helias Crusaders 2-1 at the 179 Soccer Park.
"I know a lot of those guys, playing with them and against them through the years," Ryan said. "I just let my body take over."
With the game knotted at 1 after regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, it came down to the best-of-5 round of PKs to decide it.
Helias shot first and had its opening attempt go high. Jefferson City got on the board on a shot by Layton Boyce. Sam Ferrier of Helias tied it up as the second shooter before Chad Hamler scored to give Jefferson City the lead for good.
Ryan stopped Helias' third shooter before Skylar Richardson scored to give Jefferson City a 3-1 lead. Ryan's second save of the round on Helias' fourth shooter ended the contest with Jefferson City holding a 3-1 lead.
Jefferson City is now 3-0 in games decided in PKs this season.
"Nick is a very good keeper, he's got great instincts, great size and great hands," Jefferson City coach Scott Blake said. "Plus we've got some good shooters and that helps."
It didn't take long to get the first goal Monday night. Brayden Carron of Jefferson City got a steal in Helias territory and drove through the Crusader defense to line a shot into the back of the net just 1:39 into the contest.
"I can't remember a goal being scored that early in a Jeff City-Helias game," Blake said. "Scoring first in any game is huge, but especially a game like this. And it turned out we needed it."
That was all the scoring until Helias evened it midway through the second half.
The Jays were whistled for a foul in the box and the Crusaders were awarded a penalty kick. Kaleb Wilson drilled the shot into the net and it was knotted at 1 with 16:31 left in regulation.
"(Wilson) hit it hard and down the middle," Blake said. "The ones down the middle can be the toughest to stop because as a keeper, you're groomed to get to a post. You read it more than guess."
The rest of regulation and two overtimes were scoreless to set up PKs.
"We expected it to be close," Helias coach Michael Metzger said. "There was a lot of adrenalin, a lot of energy for both sides."
Elijah Korenberg was tough to get a shot past in goal for Helias.
"Korenburg played really, really well," Metzger said. "He made some great saves against a good Jeff City team that has some dangerous guys."
The Jays finished with a 20-8 edge in total shots in the 100 minutes of play.
"They had a few more shots than we did, but we created some dangerous opportunities with the ones we had," Metzger said. "I'm extremely proud of the guys for how hard they played and the heart they showed.
"This isn't the result we wanted, but this is another step in the right direction for us."
In the end, Jefferson City came out on the winning side.
"Nothing can beat this, this crosstown rivalry is amazing," Ryan said. "Friendships turn into battles out here and nothing compares."
Jefferson City (9-5) is back in action Wednesday at home against Parkview for Senior Night. The JV game will start at 5 p.m., with the varsity to follow around 6:45 p.m. The Jays will then host the Art Firley Shootout on Friday and Saturday.
Helias (10-7) will host Marshall on Thursday, with the JV game slated for a 5 p.m. start. The varsity will begin at 6:45 p.m.
In Monday's JV game, Jefferson City blanked Helias 3-0. Brendan Drury had two goals for the Jays, while Flex Vasquez had one. Sam Allen was credited with two assists and Will Kuster had one. Kord Pearson got the shutout in goal.