Rockhurst at Aquinas

Game 13: Rockhurst at Aquinas (3-1)

Newspaper Article

Wow. For the first time in 25 years we hosted the Rock. And despite it being a Tuesday night during Kairos, Volleyball Senior Night, Yada Yada, they came. Over 2, 000 came. And what a night it was for the Saints. 

After falling for the past two years, we hung a W tonight. Rock arrived 17-2, #7 in the country, just 10 days removed from being ranked #1 in the country. But we were good tonight against the best team we have seen all year, and we have seen some good teams. 

We showed with energy, closing space as soon as it opened as our secondary defenders waited. Probably the greatest compliment to the team came from a BWhite as he named the entire squad BWhire Player of the Game. Team!

 

And yes there was a Schermoly moment: Matt Ewert had just scored just an amazing goal on a corner to put us up 1-0 when he took off running towards our sideline to hop into BWhite's arms. I loved that!

I have to give B a huge shoutout for bringing Patrick White back for last night's team dinner. He returned the clap to STA soccer, and he transferred the historical importance of these Rockhurst matches. We showed up tonight and as Danny Gabriel mentioned "to represent those that have come before and those that will come after this squad." That is tradition, program. 

Matt Ewert's recent insertion into the starting lineup continues to pay big dividends. (Check out his opening goal off the corner). He and Aubrey were splendid in the center of the back as well! 

Once again I want to credit Coach Hammons with our rededication to set pieces and the daily extra sessions to improve us in that area. We cashed two nice ones tonight with Gabriel just missing another.

Hopefully, Mrs. Gress got some great crowd shots, and cheerleader flips as I know Titus got the full dance routine. This match was a school-wide celebration with a crowd full of so many alumni families that I could not get an accurate count. 

As Curt Whigham said before the match "boys, this is one you won't ever forget."

Hey, but we have "miles to go before we sleep": BV West, Olathe East and then LS North. But will pause just for a moment after this one.

STATS: 

First Half: Saints: Shots: 4 (3) Corners: 2 (Wirt 2)

19:53 Ewert (Joey Caragher bends it left for the diving header into the Schermoly run)

Rockhurst: Shots: 5 (1) Corners: 3

3:48 Smith (controversial goal as we pull off the post leaving Smith perhaps offsides, but he heads it in on the second-touch corner)

Second Half: 

Saints: Shots: 5 (4) Corners: 2 (Sketers, Geiss)

30:11 Gasparovich (Just-inserted-in-lineup Evan Neely hit the long diagonal switch that Wirt chests down in front of Gasp who fights off the defender before lacing it near post) 

28:21 Geiss (Just-inserted-in-lineup Cole Geiss runs backpost on the beautiful Wherry free kick)

Rockhurst: Shots: 4 (3) Corners: 3

EKL vs. Blue Valley

Game 12: vs. Blue Valley at BV West (2-0)

In our first game back from St. Louis we were pretty solid.  Yes, we could have scored more, but more importantly, we created chances and allowed very few, if any.

In his debut match at starting centerback, Matt Ewert showed well. BWhite named him the BWhite Player of the Match, for one. We cashed a corner with his running of the slot. In fact, he won 4 balls in that spot, just missing on another one. He also paired well with Aubrey in the back. Blue Valley did not generate much in the center of the field as Matt cleared so much with his head. 

B had to give a big shoutout for Landon Wirt as well. Not only did he get the game-winning goal, but he also generated six corner kicks. (I don't know if that is a Saint record, but it should be.) 

The Tigers' keeper made a great save on a Parker Stoecklein shot from the top of the box and a couple of difficult saves on a couple of other shots, so we were generating some offense.

Lots of kids played and played well, and we kept a clean sheet. This defense is what we will need in our last four matches down murders' row: we start Tuesday with Rockhurst.

STATS:

First Half: Saints: Shots: 10 (7) Corners: 5 (Wirt 5)

3:17 Wirt (Danny finds Devin wide for him to go baseline before lofting the ball to the back post for the head-in)

Tigers: Shots: 0 (0)

Second Half: Saints: Shots: 12 (6) Corners: 5 (Wirt, Diggs, Whigham, Stoecklein, Caragher)

15:13 Ewert (Gabriel bends the right-footed corner in)

Tigers: Shots 2 (0)

Gateway, Day 3

at Chaminade vs. Columbia Rock Bridge (2-3)

Well, the good news is we got to play today, so we had a chance to get the ugly taste out of our mouth from yesterday's debacle. 

Because so many of the final day's matches were paring up teams that had already played each other this season, we did not play who we were supposed to play, Cherry Creek out of Colorado. We played Rock Bridge who should have been in the championship match playing Chaminade who they had beaten earlier this season.  So we took them on.

As the saying goes "if we didn't have bad luck we would not have any luck at all."  But as BWhite mentioned at halftime when we were staring at a 2-0 deficit, we have a lot to do with causing our own bad luck.

We made every soccer adage real today. 1) Goals are scored in the first five minutes and the last five minutes of halves. We surrendered all three that way. 2-0 is the most dangerous score in soccer. We roared back to tie it midway through the second half at 2.  

And then in some mystifying fashion, we fouled with 23 seconds left. And from 35 yards the Rock Bridge number 10, chipped a ball somehow over Sam's head for the winning goal.

BWhite named Danny Gabriel the BWhite Player of the Match, with a shoutout to Aubrey Evans.  Both had almost flawless matches, and their huge efforts inspired all around them.  But as a whole, our guys played well today. Just a gutsy comeback that only fell short by a few seconds. 

STATS:

First Half: Saints  

Shots: 8 (3) Corners: 5 (Whigham, Gonzalez, Sketers, Neely, Wherry)

Rock Bridge: Shots: 5 (3) Corners: 0

3:52 Koetting (19 hit a cross into the 18 box that Koetting strokes home)

0:38 Stanowski (Muhammand hits a long ball from midfield that bounces at the 18 before Stanowski knocks it in).
Second Half:

Saints:  Shots: 7 (3) Corners: 4 (Caragher 2, Sketers, Stoecklein)

32:31 Stoecklein (Joey hits the long free kick that Rock Bridge intially clears but first Wherry and then Evans out it back on for a Gaspo D-cross for the headball)

18:13 Whigham (Diggs boxes it)

Rock Bridge: Shots: 2 (1) Corners: 1

0:23 Klein (direct kick chipped in from 35)

Gateway Classic: Day 2.

Game 10:  at Lou Fusz vs. Peoria Notre Dame (0-3). 

Yes, the score is awful. 

The game was 0-1 15 minutes into the second half when we were called for a handball in the box. I will reserve judgment until I watch the video, but I thought it was ball to hand. A no-call. 

We well might have lost anyway as we have now logged 180 minutes without a goal in the tourney but that PK took some serious wind out of our sails. And as we compounded it with the miscue in the back on the third goal—well, we came away with the ugly score to go with it. 

We will need to play well tomorrow to leave St. Louis on a positive. 

BWhite named Curt Whigham the BWhite Player of the Match. It was a second strong match by Curt. He has been a bright light this weekend. 

We now stand 5-2-3. 

 

 

 

 

Stats:

Saints: Shots. 6 (3) Corners. 4 (Wherry 2. Wirt. Gaspo). 

PND. Shots. 11 (4). Corners. 0

4:58 in 15. (12 crosses it for the flick in)

Second Half:  

Saints. 

Shots: 3 (1). Corners: (Gaspo. Gabriel)

PND:  9 (4). Corners. 0. 

15:13 in 15 PK off handball call in https://youtu.be/dZt_sCwyuPQbox. 

20:14 in 12 (Our goal kick settled by our defender but we are picked sending PND 1 v 1 to goal)

Gateway Classic: Game 1

Game 9: At Lou Fusz vs. Eureka (0-0 2 OT, falling on 8th PK kicker)

Well, we fell for the first time all year, giving up no goals. Wow. 

We were just ok in the first half offensively but our defense anchored by Aubrey Evans played so well the entire match. (It's no wonder BWhite named Aubrey Player of the Match; he was special). 

Second half we exploded offensively as well. I did think Eureka's keeper was special. How he saved Curt's shot near the end of regulation I will never know. And Curt lasered another shot in OT that Gaspo followed, then Diggs followed, and he saved all 3. That's quite a performance.

They got off 1 shot the entire second half, no corners. We had 16 shots in the second half alone. My. 

Well—let's get the next two. 

We are 5-1-3. 

Stats:

First Half. 

Saints

Shots: 7 (3)  Corners:  3 (Whigham 2. Caragher). 

Eureka:  Shots: 3 (1). Corners. 1. 

Overtime and 2nd Half

Saints:  Shots. 16 (4). Corners. 6 (Curt 2. Diggs. Stoecklein. Wherry. Gaspo. )

Eureka. Shots. 1 (0) Corners. 0. 

PK's Made. Caragher. Arias. Gabriel. Gonzalez. Whigham. Howard. 

At BV Southwest

Game 8: At BV Southwest (3-0)

Tonight had to be our most complete soccer match of the year. We were aggressive from the opening whistle to the last whistle. Southwest had not lost a match until tonight. And you can see why. They have a nice line-up. Very nice.

We got on the board early as Gaspo just out-toughed two defenders to create enough space to finish a ball near post.  

Our second goal looked like a Man U drill with Wirt structuring a nice t-ball through the dummy for Parker's slot finish.  It was a great goal (the build and all).

And then Sam Sketers continued his deadball dominance chipping a nice ball to the back post, side netting.  The game remained at 3-0.

BWhite named Danny Gabriel the BWhite Player of the Match. He did not have an assist or a goal, but he had the pass leading up to the assist, etc.  He just flat out won the middle of the field against a first-rate midfield. Curt Whigham, Evan Neely and Esteban Arias also played well in the middle. 

 

Hats off to the defense, especially our centerbacks, Aubrey and Reid, for getting a clean slate tonight against some explosive offensive players. Sam had another nice night in goal, and Joey a nice night at defensive centermid. 

 

We had a goal of remaining undefeated heading into the National tourney this weekend, and it wasn't always pretty, but we got her done.

Congrats: 5-0-3 at midway.

Stats:

First Half:

Saints: Shots: 14 (5) Corner: 6 ( Gaspo 2, Whigham, Wirt, Gabriel, Neely)

25:34 Gasparovich (Gonzalez wins the 50/50 ball heading it through for Gaspo)

18:13 Stoecklein (Wirt gets to the baseline to T it back through the Gaspo dummy and the Gonzalez feint).


Timbers: Shots: 9 (3) Corners: 0

Second Half:

Saints: Shots: 5 (1) Corners: 2 (Caragher, Whigham)

35:03 Sketers (Wherry has a nice heave that Sketers flicks on before chipping it in)

Timbers: Shots: 6 (3) Corners: 2

At Home vs. BV North

Game 7 at Aquinas vs. BV North (2-1 OT). 

Ok. Here's one we should not have lost then we should have lost, and finally we did not lose. 

First of all BV North is much better than their record. We hung a 4th overtime loss on them. 4. 

But they only developed a chance to score the one time we fell asleep off their goalie punt. (Granted that was one heck of a kick, though.) And they did score there with only 10 to go. 

BWhite Player of the Game Devin Diggs deserves some major kudos. Whigham to Gabriel to Diggs with about a minute to go was mostly Diggs. He got to the ball so quickly and with such force that when the defender glided over to create the collision he had laid Devin out to rest: just a huge PK!  Danny tied it. 

And then in overtime for Devin to have the soccer IQ to invert the t-ball off Ricardo's pass was brilliant. And Landon's pin of his defender with the inside run to get to it just ended one bizarre match. Wow. Just a great golden goal.

BWhite also gave a shoutout to Wherry. 90 minutes of very good play. 

We got great minutes again off the bench from Arias, Geiss, Ewert, and Holland . . . Not to mention Wirt. 

But probably the play not many will think about or even recall has to center on Kimball. He heads the long kick just outside his 18-box back to himself inside the box before finding Whigham's feet on a low liner. That gets us to the PK. Sam's intuitive play might just have saved the EKL race for us. We will have to see what we do with an added chance. 

We, however, need to offer up some thank you's for this one. 

Stats:

First half:  Saints:  Shots: 5 (1). Corners. 2 (Wherry, Diggs)

Mustangs:  Shots: 2 (1). Corners. 0

Second Half and OT. 

Saints  Shots: 12 (5). Corners:  3 (Sketers, Wirt, Evans)

1:32 Gabriel (Diggs drilled in the box)

3:48 OT Wirt (Diggs inverts the t-Ball)

Mustangs:  Shots: 6 (3) Corners: 0

10:46 Illes (goalie's punt)