TOWN AND COUNTRY – Kirkwood senior goalie Holden Sodey is known for moments like these.
During a game at Edwardsville earlier this season, home fans were instructed to toss teddy bears onto the field to be donated to a local Children’s Hospital as soon as Edwardsville United scored its first goal.
More than 19 minutes into the game, the fans were still holding their teddy bears.
“I didn’t know they were doing that. I felt bad,” Sodey said.
Stuffing was once again on the mind of Sodey as he routinely denied point-blank shots and led Kirkwood to a 13-10 victory over Priory in the Class 1 Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association championship game Thursday at Missouri Baptist University.
Kirkwood (10-11), which earned its second Class 1 championship in five years, defeated Priory for just the second time in 10 meetings.
The MSLA has two postseason tournaments. The Class 2 tournament includes teams ranked 1-through-12 in the state rankings. The Class 1 tournament includes teams ranked 13-through-24.
“People can say what they want about (the Class 1 tournament), but I will always love playing where we have a fighting chance,” Kirkwood coach Chris Luckett Sr. said.
Sodey gave the Pioneers a fighting chance from the opening faceoff, which was scooped by Priory specialist Nate Sutto, fired at the net from point blank range and repelled by Sodey five seconds into the game.
“That was big for me,” Sodey said of the tone-setting save.
Despite an excellent performance from Sodey and the Kirkwood defense throughout the first half, the Pioneers trailed 6-4 at halftime and searched for ways to jumpstart their offense.
“This is one of the best offensive groups I’ve ever coached,” Luckett said. “I knew if they played together, like they have all year, good things were going to happen.”
A man-up situation gave the Pioneers the boost they needed. Junior Gray Davies scored to slice the deficit to one goal. Brennan Gibbs converted a two-man advantage 24 seconds later to tie it.
“We found our flow,” senior attackman Caleb Grote said.
Meanwhile, Sodey was keeping his net clean. A diving save with his stick was followed moments later by a kick save with his left shoe.
“We’re not in this game without Holden Sodey. He’s been the catalyst for our team all season long,” Luckett said.
Goals by Michael Karsten and Davies 35 seconds apart gave Kirkwood four consecutive goals to open the second half and an 8-6 lead, but Priory would not go away quietly.
A Superman dive to the end line by senior Sam Jung maintained possession for Priory and allowed freshman Briggs Pim to tie the score at 8 after three quarters. After Kirkwood opened a 10-8 lead early in the fourth, goals by Joe Hietter and Jake McAtee tied it at 10 with 6:26 remaining.
During the teddy bear game at Edwardsville, Kirkwood led 7-0 before undisciplined penalties and unforced turnovers allowed Edwardsville United to come back and win in overtime. In the final six minutes Thursday, Kirkwood combined physicality with poise and emotion with discipline.
“We’re a physical team, we’re a passionate team and we handled it well,” Sodey said.
Brennan Gibbs shoveled in the go-ahead goal after a rebound with 4:30 remaining, and Sodey cherished the moment ahead of him.
“Once we got that goal, I was like, ‘It’s crunch time,’” Sodey said.
He denied a missile from Priory leading scorer Sam Jung, and moments later, Kirkwood sophomore Michael Karsten emerged from behind the Priory net to give the Pioneers a 12-10 lead. After a timeout, Turner Ludbrook split a double-team at midfield, made his way to the crease and scored to boost the Kirkwood advantage to three goals.
Kirkwood scored five goals in the fourth quarter, all by different players, and none by Grote, the leading scorer for the Pioneers with 66 goals.
“This is the best offense I’ve been a part of. We move the ball well and we have chemistry from playing together for a few years. It’s a cohesive unit,” Grote said.
Luckett added, “We’re not a team with one offensive powerhouse that (opponents) can lock off. We have six of them that can get hot at any given moment.”
And that moment was late in the fourth quarter when Kirkwood needed it most.
“I have faith in our team in late-game scenarios, and we pulled through,” Sodey said.
Sodey, a Maryville University commit, wore a message on his mask in tribute to his grandmother, who loved to watch him play. He finished an emotional senior season with a championship trophy and by being named Most Valuable Player of the Class 1 title game.
“Lacrosse is such a big part of my life, and I was so nervous coming into the postseason,” Sodey said. “We definitely had a rocky season, big wins, tough losses, but this feels amazing.”
He added, “It’s a great way to go out. I’m so proud of this team.”
For a photo gallery from this game, visit: