Hynes' long goal propels Helias past Capital City

Luke Hynes of Helias dribbles as Carson Harper of Capital City defends during Monday's game at Ray Hentges Stadium.
Luke Hynes of Helias dribbles as Carson Harper of Capital City defends during Monday's game at Ray Hentges Stadium.

The momentum swung Monday night on the strong right leg of Luke Hynes.

Hynes, a Helias senior, scored on an absolute bomb about 12 minutes into the second half to help propel the Crusaders to a 4-1 victory against the Capital City Cavaliers in Central Missouri Activities Conference action at Ray Hentges Stadium.

"You could see after that goal, the guys absolutely lifted," Helias coach Jay Hebenheimer said.

Hynes took a short pass after a Capital City turnover on Helias' offensive end and drilled a 35-yarder that ticked off the bottom of the cross bar into the net.

"That was an absolute laser," Capital City coach Travis Cairer said.

It was quite the memorable strike by Hynes.

"That's got to be one of the best shots I've seen since I've been here at Helias," Hebenheimer said. "Thirty-something yards out on the run, just cracked.

"He brings moments like that to this team. Ultimately, we don't want to have to count on those moments, but when they do come, they absolutely elevate the team."

The goal gave the Crusaders a 3-1 lead.

"We can't let other stuff change our play mentally and we definitely fell off a little bit after that," Cairer said.

Hynes gave Helias a 1-0 lead with a score 13 minutes into the first half, taking a pass from Alex Tesreau and driving to the net for the score.

Capital City answered seven minutes later on a score by Nate Wilbanks.

"That was a good early goal for them," Hebenheimer said.

Helias took a 2-1 lead into halftime on a goal by Sam Thompson about three minutes before intermission.

The final 30 minutes of the half resembled a track meet, with the teams sprinting up and down the field on offensive runs.

"Not planned," Hebenheimer said. "We wanted to build and possess, which we did for the first eight minutes or so.

"But then it turned into a race. The boys wanted to compete, their boys wanted to compete and I think that got things going up and down the field."

Capital City had nine total shots, including six on goal, in the first half.

"I feel like we were doing good things, we had a couple of good situations in front of the goal, we just couldn't convert on them," Cairer said. "We just poked them right at the keeper."

Carson Mudd recorded Helias' final goal with just under 12 minutes to play.

"Capital City is a very quality opponent," Hebenheimer said. "We knew they were going to be tough."

The Cavaliers finished with 16 shots, nine on goal, in the game.

"We had good play in the build up, but it just wasn't clicking for us," Cairier said. "A lot of things are clicking for us, we're just not finding the net like we should.

"A lot of our stuff is on point, I really think in about four or five games that's going to change as we get some more experience and we are going to be hard to stop. We have the potential and once we find it, it's going to be fun to watch."

Not only was it Helias' first home game, it also served as Senior Night for the Crusaders.

"I'm almost certain this is the first Senior Night win we've had since I've been here," Hebenheimer said.

The Crusaders honored their six seniors - Hynes, Thompson, Jacob Schrimpf, Tesreau, Cole Brunnert and Thomas Schappe - prior to the contest.

"These are my babies, these guys were freshmen when I took over," Hebenheimer said. "It was tough to watch them walk across the field with their parents.

"But it's going to be fun to watch them the rest of the season and see what they can do for us."

Helias (1-3 overall, 1-2 CMAC) is off until next Wednesday at home against Battle.

"It's going to be important to keep the boys focused on soccer," Hebenheimer said. "We need to keep our minds on soccer."

Capital City (2-4, 1-3) will play Friday and Saturday at the Rolla Tournament.

"I'm going to be severely disappointed if we don't finish 3-0 down there," Cairer said. "We aren't playing three beatable teams, they are going to give us a fight, but I think we can get it done."

In the JV game, Helias topped Capital City 2-1 in a game shortened to one half.