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Photo by Kevin Anderson

Bonner Springs senior Seth Clements (left) races to the ball with Mill Valley junior Will Kersey during Monday night's game. The league match-up ended in a scoreless tie after two overtimes. It marked the first time this season that the Braves have played a Kaw Valley League game and not won.

Bonner Springs High School boys soccer coach Mike Moulin knows every game against Mill Valley will be a tough one.

That said, Monday's double-overtime 0-0 tie at MVHS is a game Moulin and his team would like to have as a do-over.

The Braves had numerous scoring opportunities throughout regulation and both overtimes but were unable to secure the victory.

"Mill Valley's always a tough test," Moulin said. "Our scorekeeper told us we had 27 shots on goal. You need to finish one of those if you want to be successful."

The Braves fell to 3-2-1 with the tie but remain unbeaten in the Kaw Valley League at 2-0-1. That's a big deal for a team that has its eyes on a league championship.

For Mill Valley (0-2-1), the game was a vast improvement from its first two outings, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Jaguars didn't manage to score a goal, but they fired lots of shots on goal.

"We didn't get a lot of looks at the goal (in the first two games), so it was nice to have that," Mill Valley coach Arlan Vomhof said.

The Braves came out firing on all cylinders during the early minutes. Garrett Parker unleashed a shot 30 seconds into the game that sailed wide. Moments later Conner Harrington fired a shot. Then Jose Lopez had a try.

Midway through the first half Harrington had a chance from point-blank range, but the shot was blocked.

The Jaguars had their best look all night when, in the 21st minute, Landon Kittle slipped past the defense and unleashed a shot that hit the right post.

Bonner Springs also had plenty of golden opportunities to score, but Mill Valley goalkeeper Thomas Richmond snuffed out every attempt. He made diving saves and sliding saves and even took a few balls off of the feet of opposing forwards. Both coaches praised Richmond's performance as game-changing.

"He did a great job. So did the defense," BSHS coach Mike Moulin said.

The Braves had another excellent look in the 36th minute when Parker lofted a freekick toward the far post. Alex Soto uncorked a bicycle kick that sailed inches wide of the next and the game remained scoreless at intermission.

The second half was almost identical to the first, except that Mill Valley picked up the intensity on the offensive end. Bonner goalkeeper Ethan Isaacs was busy for the rest of the game making saves and keeping his team in the game.

Both teams had opportunities to score during overtime, but Mill Valley had arguably the best chance. It happened on a call that Vomhof disputed.

A Jaguar forward was fouled inside the box. Rather than a penalty kick, however, Mill Valley was given an indirect kick and was unable to score.

Vomhoff disagreed with the call, saying that he believed a penalty kick should have been awarded for the infraction.

"I disagree with the official's call in the box. I think it was a trip and a hit," Vomhof said. "He somehow called obstruction, which I don't see how, but it's his call and I can't change it."

The Jaguars threatened to score even as the final seconds ticked off. They were unable to launch one final corner kick before the buzzer sounded, which frustrated Vomhof.

Moulin credited the Mill Valley defense with making it difficult for his team to score, but he said they needed to find a way to convert on at least one of their chances to be successful.

"They were playing great defense, they were disrupting our front two, and quite frankly we weren't making good decisions at the midfield position," Moulin said.

The Braves next play at 6 p.m. today at Bishop Ward. Moulin said he hoped his team would score a few goals and pick up another win, but he cautioned that Ward would be difficult.

"They're always tough," Moulin said. "They played us tough last year."