Liberty all-state goalkeeper Aidan Brown struggled to process what happened.
During a Class 4 quarterfinal soccer match against John Burroughs last fall, Brown observed Bombers’ junior Daniel Bernal approaching him on a breakaway. Brown sped towards him, dove to knock the ball away and tripped him up.
“I tried to get the ball. I didn’t have the right angle of approach, and I knocked him over,” Brown recalled.
Brown was issued a disqualifying red card for committing a foul as the last player between the attacker and the goal. He sat on the Eagles’ bench in disbelief, stunned that his day in goal had ended in the 28th minute.
“I wasn’t expecting a red card. I thought it might be a yellow (card) and a (penalty kick). That was the first red card in my life, ever. I didn’t know how to react to it at first,” said Brown, who placed in the top three in the STL metro area in save percentage, goals against average and shutouts last season.
Liberty backup keeper Austin Kelly surrendered a goal on the ensuing John Burroughs penalty kick, and despite playing admirably in a difficult situation, took the loss in a 2-1 setback that stopped Liberty one win short from reaching the final four.
“I didn’t know what to do with it, but I let it go,” Brown said. “After a while, it was all about getting ready for next season.”
Next season is here, and Brown is certainly ready.
He recorded clean sheets in his first four starts before yielding a goal in a 3-1 victory over North Point on Sept. 20. His .938 save percentage ranks third best in the metro area and his 0.2 goals against average ranks second.
“Everything I’ve got, and everything I’m doing this season, I give the glory to God,” Brown said.
Liberty (5-1) continues play in Pool B of the STL Champions League tournament this week with a matchup against Chaminade (3-5-1) at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Eureka High School. Eureka (3-4) hosts Vianney (4-3-2) at 7 pm.
For a schedule of all STL Champions League games and to purchase tickets, go to: https://laduesoccer.wixsite.com/stl-champions-league
Because he received a red card in Liberty’s final game last season, Brown was forced to serve a one game suspension to begin 2024. He watched helplessly as Francis Howell dismantled the Eagles 4-0 in the season opener.
“It was a rough game. I think the game was a lot closer (than the score). There were just some unfortunate things that happened,” Brown said.
Since then, things have gone according to plan for a young Eagles’ team which lost its top two scorers to graduation.
“People like to say rebuild, I say retool,” Liberty coach Tony Luedecke said. “We play a different style, we have good team chemistry and our guys have bought in.”
And that chemistry is bolstered by the talkative Brown, who offers a steady stream of encouragement and direction from his goal crease.
“Naturally, I’m a very passive person. I’m nervous in other scenarios, so in soccer, it was hard for me to get my voice and tell people where to be,” Brown said. “I’ve just been trying to get louder, see the game and analyze it. It’s helped me build my confidence as a person.”
Brown enjoys pickleball, going to the gym and playing video games with his friends. In the future, he wants to be a firefighter.
But for now, he will continue to extinguish free kicks, corner kicks and penalty kicks while helping the Eagles climb the ladder among the top teams in the area.
“We just want to show ourselves and prove that we’re able to play with anyone,” Brown said.
For boys soccer photos from Champions League games and others go to: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Soccer