By Jeff Kessinger (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Willard coach Tim Magee has seen a couple different versions of his team this season as they’ve battled through injuries and adversity. One version has won 11 soccer matches. The other has lost 13.
“We’ve had some really great games where we’ve played really well,” Magee said. “And then other games we’re not sure what’s going on. Tonight we were wondering which team was going to show up.”
It only took about 11 minutes for Magee to get his answer. Senior Jay Weber got the Tigers an early goal as they blanked top seed Parkview 5-0 to win the Class 3 District 11 Tournament at JFK Stadium.
Weber celebrated with his teammates as they collected their championship plaque, but was businesslike in the postgame interview.
“It doesn’t mean anything. We’ve just got to keep playing hard,” Weber said.
Willard played hard from the opening whistle, threatening early before Weber’s goal. He outworked his marker to get to a cross and knocked the ball past the keeper for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“My opponent was coming toward me and I thought either he could get the ball or I could. I took it,” Weber said. “That gave us an advantage and we knew we had to keep working hard to get more.”
The Tigers got more in the final two minutes of the half, on another cross from the left side. This time it was Caleb Kuchta who got to the ball first, sending a snap header into the net for a 2-0 lead.
Parkview roared to life early in the second half with a pair of quality scoring chances. Freshman Silas Allouche made a long run up the left wing and sent a shot wide of the far post 80 seconds in. Just 36 seconds later, junior Chance Levings slipped through Willard’s defense to go 1-v-1 with the keeper, but his shot also rolled wide of the goal.
Willard didn’t panic.
“We just tried to stay focused,” senior Ben Roggensees said. “One goal could have made a big difference in terms of momentum, so we had to stay strong.”
The final half hour of the night was all Willard. Chris Doyle snuck a long-range shot under the crossbar to make it 3-0 and Weber bagged his second of the night four minutes later. A late goal from Joseph Lupescu provided the final margin of victory in Willard’s first district title since 2014.
“We’ve been playing together a long time,” Roggensees said. “That’s helped us a lot this year. We’ve bounced back from a lot of rough games. We’ve finally found our feet, now we just need to keep going.”
It was a tough loss to swallow for Parkview, which ends its season 7-18. The Vikings had two seniors on their roster this season, Caden Jenkins and Collin Miller.
“Our character has never been in doubt. We have high character, we just need to mature and become men,” Parkview coach Shelby Stewart said. “We’ve lacked a little maturity, playing with four sophomores and a freshman this year. But this will drive us in the summer and in the offseason to get better.”
Willard will host Neosho Nov. 12 in the Class 3 Sectionals. Those teams have already met twice this fall. Neosho took a 1-0 decision Oct. 5 in the Willard Fall Classic. The Tigers got revenge three days later, winning 5-3 in Central Ozarks Conference play.
“They’re a great team,” Magee said of Neosho. “They have so much speed, so much experience and they’ve won districts three years in a row. It’s a tall task to have to play Neosho in this next round.”
