Solid Play Wins District Title for Boys Soccer, Team Headed to State Tournament
Senior Quinn Nelson throws a ball to the 50 yard line to try and push play and gain a goal to put the Warriors ahead. They were unsuccessful and went into overtime.
With two weeks left in the 2014 soccer season, the varsity boys team carries a 13-3 record and a district championship thanks to a couple solid games in the last week.
Thursday, May 1, the Warriors took on the Papillion-La Vista South Titans in the Papio Invite. Westside came out with a 3-0 lead after the first half and didn’t let up. The game ended in a 4-0 win for Westside. The team was supported with goals from 4 players: senior Chase McCann, junior Jared Andrews, senior Riley Harberg and senior Daniel Shonka. This dominant performance preceded a match against Columbus Scotus on the following day, Friday, May 2. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 1-0 shutout for Columbus, sending Westside into district play with a loss.
District play began on Tuesday, May 6, at home as Westside hosted this year’s playoff series. The first game the team had was against Omaha Northwest (6-12), a team that hadn’t faced the Warriors prior to this matchup. The game took off quickly for the boys after McCann scored a goal just 12 minutes into the game to take 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, Harberg scored, making it a 2-0 deficit. Later in the half, goals by junior Robert Wiseman and freshman Hunter Kruse added to the 2-0 lead. Going into halftime the score was 4-0, and Westside never looked back. In the second half, goals from McCann, Wiseman, and Kruse made it a 7-0 win.
Head coach John Brian sees the potential his team has in the postseason.
“The boys are definitely starting to play the best soccer of the year right now,” Brian said.
The final game in Westside’s district play was against Millard North (8-7). The game started off slow with a 0-0 score at halftime. Ten minutes into the second half, Shonka scored a goal to put the warriors up 1-0. Later, Westside took a 2-0 lead after an own goal by Millard North with 7:30 remaining in the game. The Warriors won 2-0, sealing the shutout by goalkeeper senior Quinn Nelson. Westside secured the district championship and is now headed to the state tournament at Morrison Stadium in Omaha.
“It always feels good to get a district championship,” Brian said. “It’s an important step towards moving to state.”
Westside’s next game will be Thursday, May 15 at Creighton University.
For more information on the boys varsity soccer team check Westside Wired or follow @westsidewired on twitter for live updates.
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