Austen Ends High School Soccer Career 3rd in State

Never in a million years did I think that Austen's soccer team would make it to the state playoffs (final four in the state). I told Austen to aim for the conference championship but clearly they were destined for more. 

Headed to State!

They knock off their first playoff contender - Jones College Prep 4-0 and then go on to win the Regional Championship by beating Mt. Carmel 3-2. They move on to the Sectional Semi Final and play Downers Grove South - a team they lost to when the coach was playing the underclassmen. This time, they win 3-1. It's now the Sectional Final Game and they must beat the #1 seed, a very tough Morton team. 

They are clearly a more skilled team than us and easily pass around us but somehow we hang on after they score on us pretty early. We come back and put one away in the second half and then with 5 minutes to go Austen scores an amazing header goal and we are up 2-1. All we need to do is hang on for five minutes. But we can't. They score in that time and we go into overtime and then when no one scores we go to PKs. We make all 4 of ours and they miss two of theirs. We win. We beat Morton and we move on to the Super Sectional against Lockport. 

Turns out Austen's club coach's kid plays for that team and we learn he's just recruited a bunch of kids from that team to play on Austen's club team and he must compete with those kids now for his spot on the field for the winter/spring season. He is not happy. He finds this out the night before the game. He says, "Now, it's personal." And, I know that Austen is going to do everything in his power to secure a win. And he does. The other team scores early under some crazy weather occurrences - rain blowing sideways in the first half. The second half they come out and start working. They score. Then Austen waits until there's just over a minute left to play and he sees a cross coming in - times his run and gently one touches the ball past the goalie and into the corner of the goal to give them a 2-1 lead. We all go crazy. But we know we must hang on for a minute. Miraculously, we do and the boys advance to the State Semi Final Game. 

These boys who started 1-6-1 are going to the State Final. No one except the boys and these parents will ever know the real truth behind that 1-6-1 start but I guess it doesn't matter now anyway. What they'll remember is that they ended 3rd in State (after losing 1-0 to the eventual state champions and then winning that consolation game 3-1 for 3rd place in State). 

Never did he, we, they think they'd get there. Some say they didn't deserve to be there because they weren't as skilled and they had an easy sectional. I say that it's still difficult to get to that Final Four in State and you still need a little luck for things to go your way. They played with heart, with grit and for each other and that's what got them there - that and a little bit of luck. 

Congrats to Austen and his teammates!

- Conference Champs

- Regional Champs

- Sectional Champs

- Super Sectional Champs

- 3rd Place in State

Receiving his state medal

Helping secure a goal

Taking a corner kick

3rd Place Red Devils