By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Brody Ingold’s miss became Xavier Cox’s opportunity.
Late in a scoreless title match against Willard, Ingold dribbled up the left side, juked a defender and placed a hopeful shot toward the goal.
The shot missed wide, but not too far wide for Cox. The Bolivar sophomore sprung on the ball near the far post and converted the eventual game-winning goal.
“I remember the goalkeeper coming out and I just kind of hit it at (the goal),” said Ingold, a senior and co-captain. “I got taken out, looked up and saw Xavier (Cox) running at me.
“I did not see (Xavier) at all leading up to the goal. He came out of nowhere, sprinted and got there.”
Bolivar would go on to defeat the host school 2-0 in the championship game of the 2024 Willard Invitational Tournament. Liberators junior forward Matt Giglio netted an insurance goal (68’) a few minutes after Cox scored.
This time, Ingold officially had the assist.
“Brody was dribbling and we saw each other, he laid it off to me and I took a touch inside and just finished it in the bottom corner,” Giglio said about his goal.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Saturday’s match, which was played on Hillcrest’s turf field instead of Willard’s grass field due to overnight storms, capped an impressive two-day showing for the Liberators. Bolivar beat Logan-Rogersville (1-0) and Hillcrest (4-1) in Friday’s pool matches.
On a steamy, Saturday afternoon where heat indexes hit the mid-90s, the Liberators showed little signs of fatigue as they controlled most of the match and had the edge in possession, corners and shots on goal.
But, like some other games this season, Bolivar couldn’t find the back of the net early on despite its solid performance.
“We’ve played four or five games like that so far this year, where we out-possess and out-opportunity (the opponent) as a team,” said Bolivar head coach Jason Ingold. “It seems like, man, there’s just something covering the goal. That’s a mental area we’re trying to work on.”
Bolivar’s players credited the team’s rigorous conditioning standards for preparing them for conditions like Saturday. All varsity players must pass the team’s conditioning test: Run two miles in under 14 minutes.
“Starting August 6 with those two-a-day practices we had, it helped us get in top shape. We all went through it,” Giglio said.
Added Brody Ingold: “I feel like we’ve run, with conditioning, more than any team in the state.”
Willard, which fell to 10-4 overall, was playing in its fifth match this week and 13th for the month. Izzy Martinez had one of Willard’s best scoring chances when he soared in the air and placed a header on goal in the 60th minute.
The Tigers face two more stiff challenges next week. They play Nixa at home on Tuesday and travel to Waynesville on Thursday.
Bolivar (5-2 overall) is about to enter its busiest stretch of the regular season. The Liberators have a three-game slate next week, starting with Central at home on Monday.
“Everyone has bought in. We have a good group of guys,” said Coach Ingold, who is in his first season as Bolivar’s head coach. “We have a lot of returning seniors, and then we’ve sprinkled in a few new additions here and there.”
