FENTON – Duchesne senior captain Landon Kristensen did not see this day coming when he began his high school soccer career with a five-win season as a freshman.
“I had some doubts, but when this (current) junior class came in, this team was built,” Kristensen said.
The Pioneers placed the final brick on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over conference rival Bishop DuBourg to capture the Missouri State High School Athletic Association Class 1 boys soccer championship at Soccer Park.
Duchesne (23-7) which won its first boys soccer state title since 2003, celebrated with former members of the program, including several from the team that won the title 20 years earlier.
“This is awesome, all the alumni, all the ex-players coming out. I love this community,” junior Nicholas Brockmeyer said.
Brockmeyer played a key role in producing the game-winning goal after he changed positions midway through the first half. Switching from a forward position in the center of the field to a wing position on the perimeter, Brockmeyer used the width of the field to find available space to operate.
In the 32nd minute, he dribbled to the top of the box and located junior Zach Hubert sprinting toward the goal.
“I saw Zach in the middle, played a beautiful ball and put it on his foot,” Brockmeyer said.
Hubert slid, nudged the ball forward and snuck it under the diving arms of DuBourg goalie Kevin Henson to provide the Pioneers with a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
It was a lead that did not seem safe, however, due to the glorious opportunities DuBourg (23-4) found on set pieces throughout the first half.
In the fourth minute, DuBourg senior Owen Reynolds ripped a free kick from 28 yards away that pinged the crossbar. Mateo Switzer and Andrew Luzecky made corner kick attempts equally hazardous, playing the ball short to one another before finding space to launch shots on goal through a crowd.
“We addressed that,” Duchesne coach Patrick Turner said. “They were dangerous on those short corners, and they have strong legs and accurate legs on set pieces. We lucked out to get away with that early.”
The first half excitement on the field was compounded by the huge crowd in the stands supporting both the Pioneers and Cavaliers. The heightened energy caused Kristensen to lose his footing several times while trying to move faster than his feet were willing.
“Once I slipped I thought, ‘Uh oh, I hope I don’t do this all game,’” Kristensen said. “It was just the adrenaline, the excitement, trying to get the ball on my feet, trying to get my game going.”
In the second half, Kristensen and the Pioneers settled into a defensive-minded approach that limited time and space for the dynamic trio of Switzer, Luzecky and senior Austin Bergmann, who scored 37 goals during the season for the Cavaliers, including the game-winner in a 1-0 semifinal victory over the Maryville Spoofhounds.
Early in the second half, a powerful shot by Luzecky was courageously blocked by junior Declan Fuchs. Moments later, junior Scott Alberson Jr. bravely stood in front of a Switzer blast to keep it from reaching the net.
“You see guys blocking shots and laying it on the line for the team because they know there is no tomorrow. A sore leg or a sore gut is going to be ok in a couple days,” Turner said.
The outstanding defensive performance by Duchesne was not limited to defenders. Midfielder Brendan Donovan, who netted a hat trick in a 7-1 semifinal victory over Laquey, made a 30-yard sprint to perform a slide tackle along the sideline and win possession for the Pioneers.
“Once we got the goal, we turned defensive,” Donovan said. “We marked up well. Every time they got the ball, we were on them quick.”
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But in the final 10 minutes, DuBourg made a ferocious charge and nearly netted the equalizer.
A free kick by Luzecky caromed to Switzer, who delivered a shot that eluded Duchesne goalie Ben Burke and bounded toward the vacant net where Reynolds was sprinting to tap it in. But the right shoe of Albertson found it first and cleared it from the goal line in the nick of time.
“I saw that goal coming, and I slid and tipped it out before (Reynolds) came in. I thought he was going to bury it, but I got my foot in there,” Albertson said.
With less than five minutes remaining, Reynolds found Bergmann making a run behind the Duchesne defense for what appeared to be the tying goal, but the play was correctly ruled offsides and the score was negated.
“To win big games like this, you have to play hard, play well and you need a couple breaks, especially when the teams are so even,” DuBourg coach Brian Gillick said.
Two excellent defensive plays by Duchesne junior Gianni Bolanos, including a risky, but perfectly-executed slide tackle in the box against Switzer, preserved the first boys soccer state championship for the Pioneers in 20 years.
“From game-to-game, week-to-week we’ve been put up against big goal scorers and these guys have answered the call every time. I’m so proud of them for locking it down,” Turner said.
It was the third tight meeting between the teams this season, with DuBourg winning 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 6, Duchesne winning 3-1 on Oct. 5, and finally, the Pioneers edging out the Cavaliers on the sport’s biggest stage on Saturday.
“As soon as (Duchesne) scored, we knew it was going to be a tough nut to crack,” Gillick said. “They’re coached great and they have a great team. If we were going to have to lose to somebody, that’s who I would pick to lose to.”
And for Duchesne senior captain Kristensen, who had not finished a season better than six games under .500 before this year, the championship moment brought him to tears as he embraced his teammates on the field after the final whistle.
“Over the summer, we all trained together, we would get lunch afterwards, and we really bonded. We developed a chemistry and became brothers. I love them all so much,” Kristensen said.