FENTON – Bishop DuBourg found itself in an unfamiliar situation.
The high-scoring Cavaliers, which averaged more than four goals per game this season, entered halftime deadlocked in a scoreless tie during their Class 1 state semifinal matchup with Maryville.
“I knew we had to come out right away (in the second half), get a few shots on goal and set the tone,” senior Andrew Luzecky said.
Luzecky created several scoring chances and senior Austin Bergmann cashed in with the lone goal to propel Bishop DuBourg to a 1-0 victory over Maryville in a Class 1 semifinal Friday at Soccer Park in Fenton.
Bishop DuBourg (23-3) advanced to the Class 1 championship game and will face Duchesne (21-7) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Soccer Park.
Bishop DuBourg and Duchesne, who are both members of the Archdiocese Athletic Association (AAA), split two meetings this season. Duchesne won 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 6 and DuBourg won 3-1 on Oct. 5.
“It will be awesome to play Duchesne again,” Bishop DuBourg coach Brian Gillick said, “It will be a fantastic game.”
In the opening minutes, Bergmann found himself in the center of a barrage of scoring chances for DuBourg.
A cross by junior Mateo Switzer barely missed the head of a streaking Bergmann, and a heavy blast by Bergmann from in tight was denied by Maryville senior goalie Jaxson Staples, one of nine saves he made during the game.
Excellent defense by Maryville center back Gavin Wray, who was a slide tackle machine, made it difficult for the Cavaliers to generate offense as the two teams entered halftime locked in a scoreless tie.
“We’re led by seniors in the back and a phenomenal goalie, and they just don’t want to give up goals. That’s just their mentality – don’t let people score,” Maryville coach Matt Stoecklein said.
But early in the second half, Luzecky found another gear for Bishop DuBourg.
In the first minute, he dribbled through the top of the box and ripped a shot that Staples denied. Moments later, a slick pass from Luzecky sent Switzer into a prime scoring area, but his shot labeled for the corner scooted inches wide.
After Luzecky launched a sneaky side-footed shot that Staples extracted, the DuBourg senior had generated three scoring opportunities in the opening six minutes of the second half.
“Andrew has been a leader all year and he did a fantastic job settling into the mid(field). We worked the ball better through the mids in the second half and got our forwards free,” Gillick said.
In the 51st minute, Bergmann got free.
After the Cavaliers defended a Maryville corner kick, junior Cory Macke booted the ball forward. Bergmann knocked it down and found himself with plenty of space to operate.
“We got the counterattack on the corner (kick). I got the ball, flicked it on with my shoulder and I was through,” said Bergmann. “The goalie sat back so I knew not to shoot it right away. I had a touch, got around the goalie and just dinked it in the goal.”
It was the team-leading 37th goal of the season for Bergmann.
The Bishop DuBourg defense, led by center back Owen Reynolds, had to make some remarkable plays to keep the Spoofhounds off the scoreboard.
In the 57th minute, a Maryville free kick was headed forward by senior Eliot Gallagher and bounced over the head of charging DuBourg goalkeeper Kevin Henson. Reynolds raced towards the goal line and booted it back into the field of play just before it entered the net.
“I was right there (at the goal line). I could have easily hit it back into the goal if I didn’t get over it,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds, Macke and junior Jeremy Roeder kept a close eye on Maryville 30-goal scorer Kason Teale, and Henson made strong saves on a pair of Spoofhounds’ free kicks from within 25 yards.
A powerful Reynolds’ clear and sliding Henson save in the final two minutes preserved the 12th clean sheet for the Cavaliers this season and set up their first championship appearance since 1979.
“As seniors, it’s nice to have your last game be a state final,” Luzecky said.