It only took a single kick off the right foot of senior Brady Freeman, but that shot turned out to not only be a game-winner, but also for a championship.
Freeman scored with 28 minutes left in the second half to break a scoreless game and the boys varsity soccer team won the Class 4, District 4 championship Nov. 6, 1-0 against the Saint Dominic Crusaders. The district title is the third for the boys soccer program in school history.
“We knew we had to win, we went out, we won. That’s all that matters,” Freeman said.
For the most part, the win was earned by junior Aidan Brown’s clean sheet in goal.
With a strategic pass in a free-kick goal, the ball traveled from Carson Nolan to Cannon Mathison to Freeman to Layton Dahl, then back to Freeman, who was in front of the goal and knocked in the loose ball past the St. Dominic keeper.
Freeman said that being the only player to score feels great. He said that it was a good goal too and it felt good to score.
“To celebrate in front of the Dominic fans, it was surreal. It was a great feeling,” Freeman said.
Reflecting on the game, Nolan said it wasn’t the best his team has played but “but it was also more whoever had the most passionate heart in the game’s gonna win,” he said.
Senior Turner Lively thinks the Eagles played better defensively in the game because they didn’t give up any goals.
“We did good on offense but I still think not giving up a goal is better than scoring a lot,” Lively said.
The team will go on to play at John Burroughs against the Bombers this Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. in the state quarterfinals.
Senior Carson Nolan feels confident about playing the Bombers.
“We’ve been playing well so far and we are very motivated because we lost to them my sophomore year in district quarterfinals,” Nolan said.
