KIRKWOOD – Vianney junior Brody Mayer broke free and finally had a clear view of the net.
Facing a Farmington team that employed a packed-in, defensive strategy to negate scoring chances, Mayer pounced on an errant pass in the midfield and found himself with nobody standing between him and the Knights’ goalkeeper.
“I saw the goalie coming out, and thought, ‘I’m not going to hit it because he’ll just block it,’” Mayer said.
Exemplifying the patience that Vianney showed the whole game, Mayer waited out the goalkeeper, calmly sidestepped an onrushing defender, and provided a crucial goal in the Griffins’ 3-0 victory over Farmington during a Class 3 quarterfinal Saturday at Don Heeb Field.
Vianney (15-6), which earned the program’s 15th state semifinal appearance and first since 2017, advanced to play Borgia (17-7) at 10 a.m. Friday at Lindenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
Ladue (21-6) faces Van Horn (20-4) at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the other Class 3 semifinal.
The Griffins’ mascot was not the only thing golden for Vianney on Saturday. Mayer joined several teammates in sporting blond hair, an idea hatched from senior captain Logan Russell after the Golden Griffins’ district championship victory over Parkway West on Nov. 7.
“I thought maybe it would bring up the team spirit,” Russell said. “I think we all like it.”
The Blond Bombers patiently waited to unleash their exceptional speed and booming shots against a Farmington team that squeezed five defenders across its back line.
“Coming in, we thought they were the more athletic team and the more experienced team, so we played a medium-to-low block on defense and hoped to catch them on a counter,” Farmington coach Addae Rique said.
Vianney was awarded gobs of available room in the midfield but had seam passes denied and attempted shots blocked by a sturdy wall of Farmington defenders.
“Obviously, you foam at the mouth with the space that you’re given,” Vianney coach Brian Haddock said. “We did a nice job with the patience piece, going side-to-side, and when we tried to take it at them, we tried to find a gap at the last minute.”
Junior Riley McGill was the first Vianney player to slip through a crack in the Knights’ armor, but his left-footed blast was seized by the two-handed grip of a leaping Logan Schaupert, the Farmington senior goalkeeper. Moments later, a long throw-in by senior Andrew Abeln was redirected goalward by junior Shane Farrow and required a point-blank save by Schaupert.
“Very athletic goalie, great reaction times. I’m guessing he played hoops because his wingspan was incredible,” Haddock said of Schaupert.
The Griffins continued to patiently move the ball in search of their first golden opportunity, and midway through the first half, they found it. A miscommunication between two Farmington defenders allowed the ball to remain unattained by either, so McGill filled the void.
“I saw the ball, saw the open space and just one-timed it,” McGill said.
Schaupert had no chance to snatch the 21-yard laser off McGill’s right foot before it entered the net.
“That thing had eyes,” Haddock said.
It looked like a shot delivered by a prolific goal scorer, but it was only McGill’s second goal of the season and the first in 19 games for the steady midfielder.
“(McGill) has a nice shot, you just don’t see it a lot. He’s kind of a stay-at-home, change-of-pace, phenomenal distributor of the ball,” Haddock said. “If you were going to say, ‘Who’s going to beat you on Vianney,’ his name would not be the first. It really showed his capability coming out of the middle.”
Trailing 1-0 at intermission, Farmington changed its strategy. The Knights became more offensive and were almost rewarded in the opening five minutes when sophomore Brody Wilson drew contact while dribbling deep into the penalty area, but a foul was not granted.
Less than two minutes later, a Farmington misplay in the midfield allowed Mayer to earn a partial breakaway, His exercise in patience, calmly weaving around two Knights before unleashing his shot, produced a 2-0 lead for Vianney.
“He went slow, slow, fast. That was like a sixth sense,” Haddock said.
Russell, junior Shane Farrow and the Vianney defense took it from there, limiting Farmington to two shots on goal in the second half and helping senior Ryker Benz earn his fifth shutout of the season.
“We knew we were in for a dogfight. Farmington is a very organized, well-coached team that I think did what they had to do to get us, but at some point the door was going to open, and it did,” Haddock said.
A late goal by senior Matthew Schoen closed out the scoring in the final event played on Vianney’s current turf field before new turf is installed at Don Heeb Field.
“It is a big deal for these seniors. Every senior got in the game today and it was cool to watch that happen,” Russell said.
This group of Griffins will be experiencing a state semifinal for the first time, but it has become a second home for Haddock, who has coached the Nerinx Hall girls soccer team at five consecutive final fours.
“One thing we’re going to do this week, in addition to training, is have a little fun. I think that’s the one thing you learn to do over the years,” Haddock said. “I don’t know what team can tactically craft a lot in four days. Right now, it’s just the belief, the chemistry, the bond of the team that you can maybe work on.”
And it may be the bonds in their hair that the Griffins work on first.
“Hopefully, even more will bleach it this week,” Mayer said.
Photo gallery at https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Soccer/Boys-Soccer-2024/Farmington-at-Vianney-Class-3-quarterfinal-11-16-24
Class 1-2 State Quarterfinal Results and Schedule:
Class 1: Valley Park 1, Metro 0
Joe Buckman scored the game-winning goal to propel Valley Park to its first state semifinal berth in program history. Will Geary provided the assist to add to his area-leading total of 123 points. Steven Ermer notched his 11 solo shutout.
Valley Park (23-3) faces New Heights Christian Academy (13-12) at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
Missouri Military Academy (16-4) faces St Pius X-Kansas City (17-9-1) at 12:30 p.m.
The Class 1 championship game will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 at Hunter Stadium.
Class 2: Clayton 3, Lutheran South 1
Baron Boric scored twice to lead Clayton to its second state semifinal and first since 2010. Boric, who scored the game-winner, notched his second two-goal game of his career. Sam Leonard added his team-leading 19th goal and Sam Rothkoff made six saves.
Clayton (18-4), winners of 11 consecutive games, will face Logan-Rogersville (20-5-1) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
Orchard Farm 5, Moberly 1
Ryan Goldstein scored four goals to lead Orchard Farm to its third consecutive final four appearance. Brock Williams and Ethan Lucido provided two assists for the Eagles.
Orchard Farm (19-6) will face St. Michael the Archangel (19-4) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
The Class 2 championship game will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 at Hunter Stadium.
Class 3-4 State Quarterfinal Results and Schedule:
Class 3: Borgia 3, Springfield Catholic 1
Logan Bender, Jack Meyers and Hunter Reinberg scored goals as Borgia advanced to its first semifinal since 2015. Johnathan Williams made three saves to earn his 13th win.
Borgia (17-7) will face Vianney (15-6-4) at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
Ladue 2, Hannibal 0
Ahmad Shebl scored one goal and added an assist to lead Ladue to its third semifinal appearance in four seasons. Eli O’Neal scored the other goal and Seaton Thompson made five saves to earn his ninth clean sheet for the Rams.
Ladue (21-6) will face Van Horn (20-4) at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
The Class 3 championship game will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 at Hunter Stadium.
Class 4: De Smet 3, Lindbergh 2; 2 OT.
Gavin Weber scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to power De Smet to its 14th final four and first since 2015. Landon Weber and Brady Smith scored first half goals for the Spartans.
John Eckrich and Aiden Vojka scored for Lindbergh, which finished the season 17-4-2.
De Smet (20-4-1) will face three-time defending champion Rockhurst (20-1) at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
SLUH 2 Liberty 1
Gabe Khazen and Javi Vigil scored second half goals to lead SLUH to a come from behind victory over Liberty. Cole Chambers made 12 saves to earn his eighth win of the season.
Jackson Rocco scored for Liberty, which finished the season 19-3.
SLUH (16-6-3) will face Liberty North (17-8) at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 at LIndenwood University’s Hunter Stadium.
The Class 4 championship game will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 at Hunter Stadium.