On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Huskies (25-0-4) beat the Saint Laurence Vikings (24-3-4) 5-4 on penalties after the state championship final finished 2-2 in overtime.
From the kickoff, the Huskies controlled the field with their defense shutting down nearly every offensive buildup by the Vikings. The Huskies maintained a majority of the possession but despite this, they were unable to convert any chances. After multiple shot attempts, it seemed the Huskies would be unable to score in the first half. After several cross attempts, Senior defender Kalan Gaccione (6) finished a spilled claim by the goalkeeper with an assist from Senior forward Josh Pederson (11), to make the score 1-0 with 6:44 left in the half. The Huskies’ aggressive defense and strong block by Senior goalkeeper Jack Bouska (1) prevented the Vikings’ defense from scoring, ending the half with the Huskies in the lead. Gaccione detailed how his goal helped give his team the momentum they needed.
“It prepared us to keep on getting at it and working hard. Getting the first goal is a dream especially in the state championship,” Gaccione stated.
The Vikings opened the second half with much more aggression. The Huskies, thrown off balance, lost control of the field. Yet, they still fought and were able to create multiple chances. Even with the Huskies’ hard offensive work, the Vikings were able to capitalize and finish a deflected shot to tie the game with 23:30 left in the second half. Although the Huskies attempted to recover and gain control, the Vikings managed to score again with 16:12 left in the game to take the lead with a score of 2-1. After a series of missed chances, Senior midfielder Andrew Hebron was able to reach the back of the net with 1:29 left in the game. The score was tied at 2-2 heading into overtime.
Both the Huskies and Vikings were hungry for the state title and it was a battle for the entirety of overtime. Both teams were able to get several shots on frame, but no chances were converted in either overtime, sending the game into penalties. The Huskies right away came out strong with Bouska blocking the first attempt. Then with two more saves from Bouska and complete shots from Peterson, Senior midfielder Onkar Lidder (9), Junior midfielder Carlos Cardona (18) and Defender Cam Brown (13) the Huskies were tied with the Vikings 4-4 in penalty kicks. Then, Senior defender Eddie Zoeller (15) took the field, netting his first goal of the season and the final goal of the game to secure the State Championship. Bouska detailed how the Huskies prepared for this moment the entire season.
“We took each [practice] day by day and kept getting better, 1% every day … It showed today on the field how we stayed resilient all 100 minutes and got the result we wanted,” Bouska said.
The game was a battle throughout. On top of that, the players were forced to play in the freezing rain which caused complications throughout the game. Despite the weather challenges, the Huskies were resilient and now are State Champions for the 5th time in the program’s history. Head Coach, Jim Konrad reflected on the game’s result and his feelings towards this team.
“It made me so proud that even when they were down they fought back. To do that in this weather really showed how much the kids buy into the program and truly care for each other,” Konrad expressed.
