Hope was fading for Ladue sophomore Jordan Oiknine.
In mid-September, the Rams’ soccer season was shut down after eight games due to what Ladue coach David Aronberg called “a team infraction.”
For 13 days there were no practices, four games were forfeited and little communication occurred.
“When there was really no plan, there was definitely a point when I thought, ‘We’re not playing anymore,’” Oiknine said.
Remarkably, the Rams are still playing.
After a season of turmoil and uncertainty, Ladue (11-14) is one of four teams remaining in Class 3 and will face Springfield Catholic (19-8) in a Missouri State High School Activities Association boys soccer semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Soccer Park in Fenton.
Summit (19-4-1) and East Kansas City (17-2) will square off in the other Class 3 semifinal at 11:00 a.m.
On Sept. 9, Ladue lost at Clayton to put its overall record at 3-5 after eight games. Three days later, the Rams began a string of forfeits that included John Burroughs (Sept. 12), Marquette (Sept. 14), Kirkwood (Sept. 19) and Lafayette (Sept. 21).
“I was quite prepared to forfeit until the end,” Aronberg said.
Senior captain Logan Wallace became the bridge, remaining in contact with coaches throughout the pause. He never lost faith that the Rams eventually would return to the field.
“It’s just the spirit of the team. We’re hard-working and we love the game. I knew we could all come to common ground to get us back out there,” Wallace said.
After two weeks of no team activities, players received an email to announce that practices would resume on Sept. 25. Four players chose not to rejoin the team.
“When you go into the season, this is not the script,” Aronberg said. “We’re a young group, and there was some immaturity early on. It’s been messy, but sometimes that stuff has to happen.”
Wallace described the mixed emotions upon returning to practice the first day.
“It was a little bit awkward, but guys were just happy to be back on the field playing and seeing their teammates,” he said.
After two practices, the Rams returned to game action.
Oiknine scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Francis Howell Central on Sept. 27.
“We had fewer people on the bench and 95 percent of us played the entire game. We were cramping, but we played through it because we were happy to be there,” Oiknine said. “That’s what really built this whole run. We learned that in spite of those bad things that happened, we’re still a team that is capable.”
Two days later, sophomore goalie Seaton Thompson made five saves in a 1-0 shutout against MICDS.
“When you have nothing to lose, it’s easy to leave it all on the field,” Thompson said.
Ladue scheduled several difficult opponents during October in an effort to prepare for the postseason, but while those teams were peaking, the Rams were still searching, and they lost five of six games between Oct. 3-24.
“It was a nice humbling,” Wallace said. “But through it all, we finally found our identity. Throughout the year, we were searching for that, and I think we found it in how hard we work as a team.”
The Rams entered the Class 3 District 3 tournament as the No. 5 seed with a 7-14 record, which included the four forfeit losses. The road to state weaved through a gauntlet of four teams that each had won state titles within the previous three seasons.
First, Ladue defeated MICDS in the district quarterfinal and then ousted defending Class 3 state champion Webster Groves 1-0 in the district semis.
Against Whitfield, the Rams played with only nine players on the field after going two men down in the second half. Thompson made several brilliant saves to help the Rams preserve a 2-1 victory and capture the district title.
The Rams started six sophomores and a freshman during the state quarterfinal matchup against Fort Zumwalt South. Sophomore Andy Schulte, a junior varsity player with less than 40 minutes of varsity experience, played the entire game at wing back. Wallace moved to center back, a position he had never played.
Ladue won 1-0 and advanced to its second MSHSAA state semifinal in program history.
“We’ve put things together with duct tape and they’ve stepped up and done it,” Aronberg said. “Our younger guys had to step into leadership roles that traditionally are senior roles, and once they did, this group really took off.”
And when the Rams take off for Soccer Park on Friday, they will have been hardened by the lessons of a tumultuous season that nearly ended long before championship weekend.
“There was a ton of maturing and growth that happened across the board, from freshmen up to seniors,” Aronberg said. “This group has been through the fire, and as a coach, it’s been neat to see the kids face adversity and get stronger as human beings, and now we’re here.”
Wallace was a member of the first Ladue team to play in a MSHSAA state semifinal in 2021 when the Rams placed second in Class 3. He believes that the difficult circumstances this season have made Ladue a tough opponent to play against.
“We’re all fighters,” Wallace said. “If we go down 1-0, we’re going to see that game through until the end.”
And for Oiknine, a powerful motivation is the chance to play for those who supported the team through its adversity.
“The community around us sent messages of support when things weren’t going well. They lifted us up to play again, and now we’re paying the favor back to them,” Oiknine said. “They helped us get here, and now we’re going to fight for them to win a championship.