Johnson stars in goal as Brookfield East soccer blanks Kimberly

Brookfield East blanked Kimberly, 2-0, on Oct. 25 in the WIAA State Quarterfinal match at Uihlein Soccer Park.

The Spartans scored at the 17 minute, 8 second mark when senior Trenton Daniels fed senior Ryan Toy the ball in front of the net on the left side and Toy beautifully headed the ball into the goal past the Papermaker goalkeeper.

That was all the scoring in the first half, as the Spartans dominated play and spent most of the first 40 minutes on Kimberly's side of the field.

The first 10 minutes of the game were made in a driving downpour and a strong wind. It stayed windy and was misting for most of the evening.

Although East sophomore goalkeeper Drew Johnson was credited with two official saves, he knocked away several shots and frustrated Kimberly.

The key stretch in the game came when Johnson stopped three shots between the 66th and 70th minutes.

Then at 71:48, East got on the scoreboard after junior reserve Ryan Dundun, the coach's son, came in the game to give the starters a break. Dundun, who was rying to pass the ball, saw it fly over his teammates and past the goalkeeper for his first score of the year to assure the victory with eight minutes left to play.

After East scored the second goal, Johnson talked about his feelings.

"I was overjoyed. It was unbelievable, unbelievable, really unbelievable."

"Our chemistry is coming together," East coach Herbie Dundun said. "The boys are beginning to believe in themselves. We're moving the ball now."

Dundun then praised his goalkeepers' play.

"Drew has been a wonderful keeper for us. For being a rookie he is doing a super job. I'm just happy for his performance."

Johnson, drenched and freezing after the match, talked about his play on the big stage.

"I had to keep a level head. There's mistakes that I have made with my footwork that other people don't know that only I do," he said. "I pushed that out of my head. I just did the best that I could and happened to get all of them."