State Quarters

Game 19: 31 October: State Quarter Finals at Mill Valley (1-0)

We survived and advanced in a dicey 1-0 win over a very talented Mill Valley team.  Early in the second half, a Mill Valley player picked up a red card to take them to 10. They actually played better. Go figure.

BWhite named goalkeeper, Spencer Mogren, the BWhite Player of the Match. He had one really nice, complete game. He was aggressive in goal on set pieces. He held his line for some very nice saves, and he reacted well to a couple of dangerous flicks.  He will remember this one for a long time.

B also gave a shoutout to Ryan Holland. He was virtually flawless at right back from much of the match, and he did a great job of marking out Ashford for the last twenty minutes. But hey that back line of Payne, Farrar, Vance and Holland all had big-time games, and when Holland took on Ashford, Colling filled in well at right back.

We lost Jack Mason early to an ankle injury. He did return for the final 5 minutes of the match, but we did struggle offensively after her left. He and Landon have developed some true chemistry up top.  But Curt played up top some with Eli giving us some good minutes as well.

And Landon Wirt got, yet another, game-winning goal for us.  We have won 13 matches; I believe Landon has 9 game-winning goals. Just crazy stuff.

I applaud this senior class for getting us back to the final 4.  We have improved all season, become a real team.  The coaching staff loves the buy-in and the hard work our boys have put in to become one of the top teams in the state.

Carroll is up next.  Let's do this!

STATS:

Saints: Shots: 4 (3) Corners: 2 (Wirt 2)

16:18 Wirt (Joey drops to Curt who one-touches the chip over)

Jags: Shots: 2 (1) Corners: 0

Second Half:

Saints: Shots: 4 (2) Corners: 2 (Wirt, Mason)

Jags: Shots: 5 (1) Corners: 2

Aquinas edges Mill Valley, 1-0, in 5A soccer quarterfinals

Story by Chris Duderstadt

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

The scoring chances were there for the Mill Valley soccer team on Tuesday against St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A Northeast quarterfinals, but for the first time all season, the Jaguars weren't able to put any of them in the back of the net.

Landon Wirt's goal in the 24th minute was all that Aquinas needed to earn a 1-0 victory over the Jaguars, who ended the season with a record of 14-5. Wirt was able to slip by two Mill Valley before pushing it past Jaguar goalie Aidan Veal.

"Tonight our defensive line did an amazing job. We had one mistake that cost us a goal," Mill Valley coach Arlan Vomhof said. "We had some really good opportunities that, like I told the boys, any other night would have gone in. Tonight it just didn't bounce our way. I'm disappointed in the loss. (Aquinas coach) Craig (Ewing) has got a good team. We've got a good team. It was a good match. Unfortunately, we just weren't able to capitalize when we needed to."

The Jaguars had two golden opportunities to strike first early in the first half on crosses from sophomore Ian Carroll. The first cross came in the fourth minute, but senior Kyle Hirner just missed connecting on the finish. Carroll's second cross was in the 15th minute. Senior Brent Stevenson tried to finish it on a bicycle kick, but it went over him and right to the foot of Hirner. The Mill Valley senior put the ball on frame, but Aquinas keeper Spencer Morgan was there for the save.

"We had momentum for the first 15 minutes and then we kind of lost momentum. We did some stuff that we weren't normally doing," Vomhof said. "The second half we came out stronger. We corrected some things."

Mill Valley came out firing after the break with junior Jake Ashford leading the charge. Ashford had back-to-back chances in the 47th and 48th minutes, but his header sailed high and his shot from 30 yards out was corralled by Morgan.

The Jaguars were then dealt a tough blow in the 54th minute when senior Carter Lawson was sent off after being given back-to-back yellow cards.

"It wasn't so much arguing as it was body language and just a comment made. That was the second one," Vomhof said. "It was two yellows. It wasn't a hard red. It was just unfortunate, but they don't have softer reds anymore so you're a man down."

Despite only playing with 10, the scoring opportunities continued to mount for Mill Valley. The Jaguars' best chance came on a breakaway from Stevenson, but he pushed the ball just wide of the left post. Despite the frustration of his high school soccer career coming to a close, Stevenson enjoyed being right in the thick of the Jaguar offense in his senior campaign.

"We had a lot of people moved up (from junior varsity to varsity), and I feel like this year we worked well," Stevenson said. "We all talked and had fun together. We all had good chemistry to work together."

Vomhof was happy to see Stevenson, Hirner, Lawson, Isaac Knapp, Trent Anderson, Kyle Franklin, Bradley Teasley, Myles Mustapich and Drake Brizendine be a part of a special season for their last go-around with the Jaguars. The nine seniors helped the Jaguars to their 200th win in program history and got to be a part of the game that the team's 1,000th goal was scored in. Carroll scored the historic goal.

"This season has been a huge success. I told the seniors they have a lot to be proud of," Vomhof said. "They hit some huge milestones this year for the program that had they not played as well, we wouldn't have hit. I'm really proud of our seniors. They did wonderful."

The win for Aquinas (13-4-2) was their second of the season over the Jaguars. The Saints advanced to the state semifinals, where they will play Bishop Carroll (17-1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Maize High School. Blue Valley Southwest (18-0-1) will take on Kapaun Mt. Carmel (15-3-1) at 5 p.m. in the other semifinal.

The only teams that Mill Valley lost to this season will be playing in the state semifinals between Aquinas, BV Southwest and BV West — who topped MV twice. Blue Valley West (13-5-1) will square off against Manhattan (17-1-1) at 5 p.m. Friday in the 6A semifinals at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka. The other semifinal will feature Olathe South (16-2-1) and Dodge City (17-2). Bishop Miege (16-1-1) will square off against McPherson (14-5) and Andover Central (16-3) will go up against Spring Hill (13-6) in the 4-1A semifinals at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday at the College Boulevard Activity Center.