FRONTENAC – Oakville junior Zen Al-Kenani knew the method of attack had to change.
The Tigers tried long passes, through balls and side-to-side reversals and could not generate scoring opportunities against an impenetrable Fort Zumwalt West defense.
“We weren’t really taking any shots, so when I got the ball outside the box, I said, ‘Why not?’” Al-Kenani said.
Al-Kenani’s blast from distance tied the score and Tarik Nuhanovic’s 40-yard free kick won it in overtime as Oakville outlasted Fort Zumwalt West 2-1 to advance to the finals of the 3rd annual STL Champions League tournament Wednesday at Chaminade.
Oakville (14-2), which won its seventh consecutive game, will play Chaminade (16-0-3) for the STL Champions League title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights. Chaminade defeated Francis Howell Central in PKs in the other semifinal.
Fort Zumwalt West (9-7-1) used an outstanding individual effort by senior captain Landon Miley to open the scoring in the 44th minute.
Miley, a one-man pressure creator at the top of the Jaguars’ formation, forced a rare misplay by the Oakville defense, intercepted the ball, and created a corner kick opportunity that produced the first goal.
“He’s annoying to play against, and that’s the biggest compliment I can give him,” Fort Zumwalt West coach Brian Hruby said. “He’ll chase the lost cause 100 times if that means he’ll win it once, and he created the long, set piece opportunity.”
A beautiful corner service by senior Kade Keith was knocked into the net by the head of senior Brody Besand to give Fort Zumwalt West a 1-0 lead.
The goal allowed the Jaguars to lean into their strength as center backs Chase Worrell and Mac Marlowe rejected Oakville services into the box, and all-state goalkeeper Cody Baden gobbled up long passes and through balls.
“Our chemistry just wasn’t clicking. Give credit to Fort Zumwalt West, they had us flustered a little bit,” Oakville coach Brad Oestreich said. “But when they scored, we knew we needed to go. It lit a fire under us.”
Oakville tilted the field in its direction, but 50-50 balls in the air and on the ground went to the Jaguars. That is when Al-Kenani took his shot.
Receiving the ball near the top of the 18-yard box, Al-Kenani tapped it to his right and fired a perfectly-placed shot that ricocheted off the right post and caromed into the net to tie the game at 1-1 with 9:55 remaining.
“I just turned and shot it and it went in,” Al-Kenani said.
Prior to overtime, Oestreich challenged his team to meet the moment.
“The message was, ‘We’re going for it.’ It’s a Champions League game, it’s a big deal,” Oestreich said. “It was a great opportunity to see what the boys had at a time where we had to push through and get a win.”
Al-Kenani led the charge, earning a corner kick early in the extra session that senior Isaiah Ayidiya headed inches over the bar.
“In overtime, momentum dictates how the game goes, so I try to do anything in my power to get us going, the bench going, the fans going,” Al-Kenani said.
The Oakville fans and bench were lively after the Tigers were fouled 40 yards from the Fort Zumwalt West net. Tarik Nuhanovic delivered an excellent service into the box, that, for the first time all game, was not discarded by a Jaguars’ defender. Instead, it hit the turf and skidded past Baden for the game-winning goal.
“It was a good delivery. We didn’t deal with the first ball and it skipped through. I’m not going to fault our guys because how many other services did we deal with correctly?” Hruby said. “Someone had to win, and credit to them, they did enough to advance. Usually, you want to be frustrated after a loss, but this is one that I’m just proud of the effort.”
Fort Zumwalt West lost 11 players from last season’s Class 4 third place team, yet is still playing at a high level, including winning a STL Champions League group that included two-time finalist De Smet.
“When you lose that many pieces, it’s easy to take a giant step back, and I don’t think we have,” Hrudy said.
For Oakville, whose only losses have come to Vianney and SLUH by scores of 1-0, the STL Champions League final is an important step to where they want to go.
“This is a special group, talent-wise and how they play together as a family, and that’s something you can’t teach,” Oestreich said.
For a photo gallery from this game, click on the link below:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Soccer/Boys-Soccer-2026/Oakville-vs-FZW-Champions-League-Semis