Historic titles for Schuyler boys, Gretna East girls highlight state soccer championships
By Tony Chapman – For the Nebraska School Activities Association
A pair of thrilling boys finals capped Tuesday’s play at the Nebraska School Activities Association’s state soccer tournament at Creighton’s Morrison Stadium.
A crowd of over 7,000 watched as Omaha Westside won their first state championship since 2004 in Class A with a bounce back goal in the final ten minutes for a title game win over Omaha South. Earlier, Schuyler won the first state soccer championship in school history and just their fourth in any sport as they defeated Bennington for the Class B title.
In the girls games on Monday, Lincoln Southwest earned a Class A repeat over Omaha Marian and Gretna East continued their domination of Class B with a second straight title and win over Lincoln Pius X.
CLASS A BOYS: Westside returns to the top
Nobody would blame you for writing off the Omaha Westside soccer team after a 4-4 start that culminated with a 6-1 loss to Omaha Creighton Prep in the semifinals of the MetroConference tournament on April 11th.
But on Tuesday night, they stood alone.
The champions of Class A after a thrilling 3-2 win over Omaha South, who had also given them one of those early losses in the season. The Warriors, which finished 14-4, won their first state soccer title since 2004 in the process.
“This is for everybody that was with us when we came up short,” Westside head coach Mike Dean said. “We just wanted to get belief back in the program. We had belief in ourselves, I don’t know if anyone else did.”
The Warriors believed early. And often.
They scored in the first minute when senior Ellis Oxsman delivered a pass to Sebastian Perez-Rojas that opened the scoring in the first minute as he hammered in a shot with his left foot. In the fifth minute Oxsman delivered a shot that got past the South goalie and was credited as an own goal.
“We wanted history,” said Oxsman, the Warriors leading scorer on the season. “This is something we have not done since 2004 and this is the group that we thought we could do it with.”
But, the Packers would settle in. They cut the lead to 2-1 at the half when Dylan Holden buried a shot from outside of 25 yards in the 27th minute. With just over 10 minutes left they had a thrilling equalizer.
Holden penetrated the box and flipped a pass to freshman Anthony Martinez in the center of the field and he powered it past the Westside goalkeeper for the 2-2 tie. It was Martinez’s first goal of the season.
It didn’t take long for the game winner that came in the 71st minute from Ellis’ little brother. The Warriors earned a corner kick about 20 seconds after the Packer goal, and when Omaha South could not get the ball cleared Max Oxsman knocked in the game winner off his shin in the 71st minute.
“It just means everything,” Max Oxsman said. “I wanted (these seniors) to go out just like this.”
The Warriors won their final ten games of the season.
“It was momentum that had been building,” Dean said. “Every game we got a little bit more confident and a little bit more positive with ourselves. Our style of play continued to improve and we peaked right at the right time.”
ROAD TO THE TITLE: def. Lincoln Southeast 4-0; def. Creighton Prep 2-1; def. Omaha South 3-2.
CLASS B BOYS: “We Are Warriors”
Finally, Schuyler has done it.
After 14 trips to the state tournament and two to the state championship match, the Warriors took down top-seeded Bennington on Tuesday night for the Class B state title 2-1 to bring a championship back to the Colfax County seat for the first time since their girls basketball team won in 1994.
“Soccer means so much to us back in Schuyler,” Warrior goalkeeper Marcos Gomez said. “We have always wanted a state championship and we have never had one. We have just always wanted this.”
They’ll replay the fantastic game winner for years in Schuyler. It happened in the 56th minute.
Off a free kick that caromed back to midfield, Richard Delgado – a center back – took control of the ball, shook a defender at 40 yards and then fired one in the back of the net from about 25 yards out that was over the outstretched arms of Bennington goalkeeper Austin Nissen.
His only goal of the season.
“There are no words for this,” Schuyler head coach Ulises Fuentes said. “Just no words. The kids, they just fought until the end. That’s why we are Warriors, right? We don’t give up. And, our community, thank you to them. We had a big crowd and it really helped, too.”
Bennington had some chances in the final five minutes. Leading scorer Austin Kaiser – an Omaha recruit – got a clean look in the 76th minute but Gomez was there to snare it. Gomez batted another ball away a minute later that dribbled off the left post and back in play.
When the Warriors cleared a final free kick inside of two minutes, they had survived.
“I can’t really explain this feeling right now,” Schuyler senior Obed Benazo said. “The whole town wanted this so bad. It just means everything, all the work we put in.”
Benazo, who led Schuyler in scoring for the season, got the Warriors on the board.
He took a shot just outside of the box that Badger keeper Owen Uldal was playing to hook, but it caromed off a Bennington defender and into the right corner for a 1-0 lead. The play had started when Delgado took a ball from Kaiser inside the box on the other end and was quickly moved upfield.
Less than a minute later, the Badgers had an equalizer. Off a free kick, Kaiser got the first touch that went perfectly to Zander Hanish who headed it into the right corner of the net.
“(Our seniors) are really special,” Fuentes said. “At the same time, it’s really sad to see eight of them go. But, it feels great seeing them grow up, playing together and getting a title. It’s amazing.
“Now, we can go home and relax.”
ROAD TO THE TITLE: def. Crete 8-2; def. Hastings 4-1; def. Bennington 2-1.
CLASS A GIRLS: Silverhawks repeat, deny Marian 15th state title
With a repeat in Class A, Lincoln Southwest has put their girls soccer program firmly on the map.
After defeating Lincoln Pius X in last year’s title match, the Silverhawks took down perennial power Omaha Marian in Monday’s final denying the Crusaders a 15th state championship with a 2-1 win. The Silverhawks finished the season 18-1 with just a 1-0 loss to Class B champion Gretna East in the middle of the season.
“It’s a great feeling. I feel like we have worked for this point all season,” said Silverhawk senior Kianna Perez. “Everyone on our team deserves this so much. We worked so hard.”
The playmaker all season for the Silverhawks – Perez, a Nebraska pledge – was again in on the action for Southwest in the title game.
With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, she took a ball on the right side of the box and, switching feet, hammered a pass for Ansley Throener. It was right in front of the net and went off the foot of Marian’s Cleo Washington past keeper Audrey Conneally for an own goal and 1-0 lead.
In the second half, she went the conventional route to give the Silverhawks some cushion in the 58th minute.
A shot from Molly Riggins just outside the box caromed off Conneally and when Payton Held won the rebound she planted a near perfect pass to Perez who slashed a left-footed shot in the back of the net.
“I checked my shoulder, knew I had time and it was a good shot to the right corner and no one was there,” said Perez, who finished her career with 47 goals.
Just under three minutes later, Marian – making their 21st appearance in the state finals – found new life on their own corner kick.
Cooper Dally’s kick was too strong from the left corner and went all the way to the far post past her teammates, over the hands of LSW keeper Clara Fundis, but off the shoulder of McKennah West and toppled in.
After that, despite good pressure from Marian, the Silverhawk defense was able to hold on. Lincoln Southwest ends their season having won 55 of their past 59 games with three appearances in Class A state title games.
On the map, indeed.
ROAD TO THE TITLE: def. Papillon-La Vista 3-2 (4-1 PK); def. Elkhorn South 3-0; def. Omaha Marian 2-1.
CLASS B GIRLS: Historic Griffins cap perfect season, claim second title
In their second year as a school, Gretna East did themselves one better in the Class B state soccer championship. By winning their second state title, this time the Griffins capped a perfect season with a 5-0 win over Lincoln Pius X in Monday afternoon’s final match.
The title, which capped a four year run of state championships for the Gretna East seniors, ended a 20-0 season and they completed their high school careers with an 86-1 record, winning titles at Gretna High School as freshmen and sophomores. Their only loss to Omaha Marian a season ago.
“It’s a really amazing feeling (winning four titles),” said Griffin standout Sonora Defini. “Obviously I could not have done it without my teammates. We worked really hard all four years to get here and it’s a fun moment to share with my team.”
Defini, the Oklahoma State recruit, scored twice, the state’s career assist leader Kendall Dobberstein added an assist and second half goal and Maddie Schaffert was perfect in goal for the Griffins on a cool, misty day at Morrison Stadium.
“This is a culmination of all of their hard work and dedication to the game,” Gretna coach Chase Hutchison said after the game. “I am just very thankful that we were able to send that senior group out the right way. I took over (four years ago) and had zero coaching experience at the high school level.
“There was a lot of learning to go with that and those girls are a product and part of our process now.”
After Defini missed a penalty kick in the 24th minute that was blocked by Pius freshman Emma Miller in goal, the Griffins and Defini decided to take control. Just two minutes later, freshman Taylor Larock scored in front of the goal on a ball that was bobbled by Pius keeper Kate Miller.
Then just past the 30 minute mark, Defini got loose on a breakaway off a long pass from Dobberstein and the Griffins had a 2-0 lead at the break. Defini’s final goal as a Griffin made the lead nearly insurmountable when she got a penalty kick in the 48th minute. Dobberstein and senior Addison Larock scored late for Gretna East.
“It’s been really fun to play with each other all four years,” Defini said. “We just know each other so well. We have a tight group. I’ll miss them a lot.”
As for their coach, it was a special message to his first group to play for him all four years.
“They are special, and I love them,” Hutchison said. “And that I will miss them. It was time to go get one more (title).”
ROAD TO THE TITLE: def. Elkhorn 6-2; def. Blair 5-1; def. Lincoln Pius X 5-0.