Bay senior Sam Dickinson clutches the runner-up trophy after the Rockets’ 1-0 loss to Columbus St. Francis DeSales in the Division II championship match Saturday at Columbus Crew Stadium. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Rockets fall short of state title
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published Nov. 18, 2009

So close.

On a beautiful late-fall day in Columbus, the Bay boys soccer team was back in a familiar place – the Division II State Championship final.

Three times before, the Rockets had reached the title match, earning state crowns in 1991 and 1993. Last Saturday at Columbus Crew Stadium, however, the Band of Brothers had to settle for their second state runner-up finish in a 1-0 loss to top-ranked Columbus St. Francis DeSales.

“In a close game like this, it was a matter of which team was going to get the break,” said Bay head coach Bob Dougherty as both teams met at midfield to share a moment of sportsmanship.

“Well, they got that break,” Dougherty said. “The kid made a great move on our defense. It was going to take that kind of shot to beat Nate (McDonald). But really, I thought both keepers played well. It was a wonderful job on both ends.”

According to Dougherty, last Saturday’s season finale was similar to the contest played between the two teams early in the regular season. In the third match of the fall, the two teams battled to a 0-0 tie in the annual meeting of the two state powers.

“The first time we met, they took it to us in the first 35 minutes of the half,” Dougherty recalled. “We went to a 3-5-2 alignment and were able to play well the rest of the way, but in the first half, they just torched us with shot after shot.”

Just as in that first meeting, the Rockets were able to hold in the first half last Saturday. While each team registered just one official shot on goal, the Stallions had 10 total shots to just five for Bay. Still, it was a 0-0 standoff by halftime.

The Bay boys soccer team didn’t get many chances to score in last Saturday’s state championship match. Here, Alec Petro (8) finds the going tough against the DeSales defense early in the first half as teammate Tony Passalacqua (5) looks on. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

But in the second half, DeSales turned up the heat on the Rocket back line.

The Stallions, looking for their fourth state championship and first since 1997, used their speed and athleticism to crank out 15 more shots in the second half, seven shots on goal. The pressure soared in a 12-minute span, and DeSales finally got through for the match’s only goal with just under 18 minutes left in the half.

Senior forward David Harper went for the ball against Bay junior defender Connor Outcalt. Harper got there first and made a nice spin move with the ball, leaving just McDonald between him and the winning goal.

From about 16 yards out, Harper got a shot past a diving McDonald for the only goal of the game.

“We play with three in the back because we trust Nate,” Dougherty said. “Harper made a nice move. Sure, maybe Connor could have stayed back, but I can’t fault the decision he made. It took that kind of move to get the ball past him.

McDonald, who was going for Brad Fiedel’s school record of 16 shutouts in a single season, was gracious afterwards.

“You gotta give them credit,” said McDonald, one of nine Bay seniors to play in their final high school match.

“They were putting a lot of pressure on us there in the second half,” McDonald said. “They got a lot of shots off against us during that one stretch. They’re a great team, and they found a way to get one past us.

“But really, how much better does it get? We got to play in a 1-0 state final here at Crew Stadium. It was a great experience,” he added.

Bay’s scoring opportunities seemed few and far between, with just two shots on goal in the second half and three for the match. On two of those, DeSales’ senior goalie Christopher Weisgarber had to make tough saves against Bay’s junior midfielder Jack Heller.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the first half, Heller took a pass in the box from teammate Shane Williams. Heller had a clear shot from around 14 yards out, but Weisgarber stepped out and took the ball in the midsection to turn the shot away.

Heller had a shot at the tying goal late in the second half, but again Weisgarber stepped out to thwart his breakaway attempt.

“He’s one heck of a keeper,” Heller said. “When I got that pass from Shane, we had a two on two. I thought I might be able to get one there, but the keeper came out at a great angle to knock it away. Every game is a game of inches, and it showed on that play.

“DeSales has a great team, and both teams had their chances,” Heller said. “Their 4-4 defense is amazing.”

Dougherty said both teams had used frustrating losses to propel them into the state finale.

“They had a loss similar to this one when they lost 1-0 to Worthington Kilbourne during the regular season,” Dougherty said. “It happened around midseason, and it was a real kick in the pants for them.

“We lost to Avon and lost the West Shore Conference on our field,” he said. “We came back with a 5-0 win over Westlake, and we kept it going during our tournament run. But you can’t beat something like this. It was a great experience for both teams.

DeSales, which closed out their fourth state championship season at 19-1-3, got three shots on goal from junior midfielder Michael DiCesare and two from Harper. Weisgarber wound up with three saves, the two on Heller and another from Bay junior defender Kenan Sayir.

The Stallions, aside from their four state titles, have a pair of runner-up finishes and have reached the state semifinals seven other times.

Bay, with an equally impressive 18-2-3 record, got seven saves from McDonald. The Rockets also have eight state semifinal appearances, the first coming in 1989.

Earlier last week, the Rockets advanced to the state title match with a 1-0 shootout win over Lake Catholic at Brush High School.

After a scoreless regulation session and two overtimes, Bay took a 4-2 edge in the shootout to win it. Junior midfielder Eric Linhart drilled the winner after two big saves by McDonald denied the Cougars.