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By Riley Bean
Republic, MO – For the ninth straight year, the Carthage Tigers won their district tournament on the soccer field, this time shutting out Willard 3-0 at Republic High School on Thursday.
Head coach Jacob Osborne has been on the staff throughout Carthage’s district championship streak.
“It is impressive,” Osborne said after the game. “It says a lot about the kids we’ve had come through here. It says a lot about where our program has gotten to. I remember back before the streak started, I remember being an assistant coach here and I remember back whenever Coach [Matt] Huntley was the head coach here, and his dream was for us to become a dominant team from southwest Missouri that was always in the running for a district title.
“And to win nine straight, that’s an impressive feat.”
The Tigers of Carthage took on the Tigers of Willard, who had beaten the district host Republic Tigers two days ago in overtime to make it to the district final.
“I was a little worried about us being emotionally drained after that [Republic] game, but we weren’t,” said Willard coach Tim Magee. “They were charged up and they were ready to play, and they came out with the right attitude.”
Carthage got on the board at the 14:42 mark in the first half. After defending a Willard corner kick, Carthage cleared the ball as freshman midfielder David Garcia ran the length of the field and scored on the ensuing possession.
“He always brings energy,” said Osborne. “He’s a smart player, skilled and he’s got a nose for the goal. He’s going to be a good player for us for the next few years for sure.”
And that would be the only goal scored in the first half. Carthage may have scored more, though, were it not for Willard keeper Turner Sevon.
“He kept them in it. He really did,” Osborne said of Sevon. “He got to two or three balls that I thought were goals, and he made great saves.”
Carthage began to pull away in the second half. At 15:52 remaining in the game, senior Juan Garcia headed a corner kick and buried the goal to make it 2-0. Then about five minutes later, senior forward Rudy Gonzalez broke away and weaved between three defenders to put the final nail in the coffin.
(No. 9 Juan Garcia scoots by a Willard defender)
“We came out and we fought hard,” said Magee. “Our first game of district against Republic was a really hard-fought game and we just kind of wanted to continue that.
“At halftime it’s 1-0, and we had one, maybe two opportunities in the first half,” Magee continued. “We just didn’t take advantage of them, and when you play a team as good as Carthage, you’ve got to take advantage of any opportunity you get.”
Willard and Carthage met earlier in the season. Carthage dominated that matchup 7-0 on Sept. 20. Thursday’s district title game shows how much Willard has improved over the past month.
“When you put so much into the season, it’s hard to take your second-place trophy,” said Magee. “But what I just tried to convey to [my team] was if you look at where we were midseason, and how we ended the season, they needed to be proud of accepting this trophy and know that they earned it. It wasn’t given to them, they earned it.”
Carthage will take on Carl Junction in the sectional round on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6:00.
“Since we’re so local, they really look at us as a rival, so their kids get up to play us, no matter the year,” said Osborne. “So that’s what I’m expecting Tuesday.”
