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The Glendale Falcons earned their trip to the state soccer Final Four is thanks to quite the week from Ryan Feeney.
“Our class has never been able to experience it so our last year we’re making it good,” Feeney said about reaching the state semifinals.
Feeney is one of 18 seniors on the Falcons roster hoping to fill the void of a classmate. The Falcons have been without all-stater, Mitch Stevens who suffered a season ending injury.
“Mitch has helped us a lot,” Feeney said, “all four years he’s been a starter in the back. We have guys stepping up and willing to complete.”
And Feeney, 6’1″ striker, is among those stepping up for Stevens.
“Over the last month we’ve juggle the line-up around,” coach Jeff Rogers said. “And we’ve really started to gel of late.”
In Glendale’s sectional round win over Rolla, Feeney scored the only goals of the game – a pair of perfectly placed headers.
“He’s worked so hard,” fellow senior Max Elmer said. “He finds ways to put the ball in the back of the net, he’s been awesome.”
“I stay wide and then making those diagonal runs in,” Feeney said, “and that’s how i got a couple of head balls.  I work off the midfielders, and they’ve been finding me – just being in the right place for the opportunity.”
Opportunity was knocking four days later in the Class-3 State quarterfinal game at Neosho.
Feeney making a statement – tallying a pair of goals in the first 10-minutes. Neosho didn’t even know what hit them.
“He brings high energy, high intensity, that extra ball, that extra step to score and that’s what makes him awesome,” Elmer said.
Moments after his second goal against Neosho, his throw-in reaches the box for Ryan Long to give the Falcons a three goal lead – impossible for Neosho to overcome.
Glendale won 6-2, advancing to its sixth Final Four in school history thanks, in part, to quite the week from our athlete of the week.
“It’s a great feeling,” Feeney said of reaching state. “All the years through Glendale, it’s been like a family thing; we’re playing for each other.”
Glendale plays Webster Groves on Friday in the Class-3 state semifinal round.
