On the hottest day of 2018 to date, the Adel-Desoto-Minburn Tigers boys soccer team saw their season end Saturday due to questionable late-game officiating. The Tigers renewed their long-time rivalry with Dallas Center-Grimes in the Class 2A Substate 2 Championship game at ADM Stadium in Adel. The Tigers, who bested DCG 4-3 in Adel on April 23, came up on the short end of a 1-0 result in the rematch.

The Mustangs’ lone goal came in the 71st minute when junior Nate Friesen received the ball in the Tigers 18-yard box and proceeded to lose his footing. After tumbling over the ball, the officials called a foul against the Tigers, setting up a penalty kick between Friesen and Tiger goalie TJ Klocke. Friesen snuck the ball underneath the outstretched arm of Klocke into the bottom left corner for the go-ahead goal. ADM appeared as if they scored the equalizer four minutes later on a corner kick as the ball ricocheted off Mustang keeper Brennon Woody’s hands and was followed into the net by senior Eli Schwarzkopf. The referees waved the goal off, stating a collision between an ADM player and Woody jarred the ball free and allowed the putback opportunity. After the game, ADM head boys soccer coach Bill Sheilds was less than pleased with the officiating late in the match. “You hate to be whining, but to me it was a very soft penalty,” Sheilds said, “Then, I don’t see any reason for them calling back the goal and from that (call), and then Ethan (Meyer) ended up getting the red card, and it all fell apart at the same time.”

Tiger senior defender Meyer performed an illegal slide tackle moments after the goal was called back against ADM, trying to regain possession for the Tigers as the final minutes were ticking away. The loss ends ADM’s boys’ soccer season with a record of 15-4 overall, winning the 2018 Raccoon River Conference championship. The Tigers lose nine seniors to graduation.