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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The third time proved to be the charm for Ozark Thursday night, as the Tigers downed Kickapoo 1-0 to capture the Class 4 District 10 championship.
After two second-half Tiger goals were disallowed, Ozark finally broke a scoreless tie in the 64th minute on Magnus Kulseng’s deflected set-piece goal.
Under fire all evening, Kickapoo goalkeeper Jacob Holman made a diving save to thwart Nicholas Rushing’s free kick from just outside the Chiefs’ penalty box.
Kulseng, a senior exchange student from Norway, gathered the deflected ball and blasted it through for the game-winner.
“I didn’t really know what happened,” Kulseng said. “But I saw the ball coming towards me. I got one touch, and I didn’t have any choice but just to let it go and try one. Luckily, it skipped and got in.”
Ozark set the tone early with aggressive play.
The Tigers dominated possession for much of the first half and received a host of scoring opportunities in the process. In the first half alone, Ozark took nine corner kicks.
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Despite the numerous missed opportunities, Tigers head coach Tom Davidson knew his team would eventually break through.
“We had a bunch (of scoring opportunities), especially in the first half,” Davidson said. “When they don’t fall, and they don’t fall, and they don’t fall, you start getting a little bit worried. On that scramble where we did get it, I thought two balls were already in before the third one actually went in.”
The shots on goal mounted in the second half, as Kickapoo started scoring getting opportunities, as well.
While the Chiefs were able to mount some offense, those opportunities were quashed by Ozark’s back line and goalkeeper Sean Smith.
Early in the half, the Tigers finally caught a break.
Or so they thought.
Tanner Shelton’s goal in the 44th minute appeared to give Ozark a 1-0 lead; however, it was disallowed due to a foul.
Eight minutes later, the Tigers struck again when Nicholas Rushing’s free kick from just outside the box found the back of the net.
Once again, the Ozark celebration was short-lived, as the Tigers were called offsides on the play.
Davidson found the emotional roller coaster difficult to manage.
“Those are really hard,” Davidson said. “It’s all that elation, and then it’s like, ‘ahhh … back to square one.’ Those were really tough, but the referee sees what he sees, and I don’t have a whistle.”
Just over ten minutes later, Rushing lined up for yet another free kick from 30 yards out.
While Holman’s acrobatics denied Rushing’s would-be goal, the deflected ball found its way back to Kulseng.
The senior midfielder hesitated for a moment, wondering if the goal would actually stand up.
“First, I was worried that it would get called off again, because we were cheated for two goals,” Kulseng said. “I was like, ‘this is probably offside,’ but it wasn’t. Seeing my teammates charge me, I can’t describe the feeling. It was amazing … I don’t have any words.”
Despite the one-goal deficit, Kickapoo would not go away quietly.
In the 73rd minute, a hand ball inside the penalty box gave the Chiefs a golden opportunity.
Junior forward Aidan Bilbao stepped up to face Ozark’s Smith on a one-on-one penalty kick.
Bilbao’s corner blast looked true; however, a diving Smith was able to punch the ball away from the box and deny the equalizer.
“It’s a guessing game, Smith said. “You can look at the eyes, and you can look at the hips but, ultimately, it’s really just a guessing game. I saw his hips kind of open up to the right side, so I figured I’d guess right, and it was right.
While Davidson praised his senior’s performance, he wasn’t surprised by any means.
“Sean was special tonight,” Davidson said. “He’s been like that since he’s been a sophomore. I just don’t have to worry about what’s going on behind our defense, because I know Sean’s going to be there. He was spectacular tonight.”
Kickapoo ends its season with a 13-11 record, while Ozark (23-3) moves on to host a sectional round matchup against Columbia Rock Bridge.
Class 4 District 10 Championship: Ozark – 1, Kickapoo – 0
Scoring
63:05 Ozark Magnus Kulseng (unassisted) 1-0
