MARSHFIELD — The Aquinas High School boys soccer team just needed something positive to happen early in the second half to give itself a chance to beat Northland Pines in a WIAA Division 4 sectional championship game on Saturday.
Injuries were impacting the lineup, and the Blugolds faced a one-goal deficit with a chance to play in a second state tournament in three years on the line. So Connor Benz and Vincent Bahr took care of that for their team, and it set the Blugolds on the path to a 2-1 victory in Marshfield.
Benz set up Bahr for the first second-half goal, and senior David Onyeabor put himself in the right place at the right time to finish a Jaeden Silcox shot off the crossbar at the 79-minute, 16-second mark to breal the tie.
“At halftime, we had a lot of hanging heads because Northland Pines scored the goal late in the first half,” Aquinas coach Ryan Capwell said. “We had some injuries. To get that first goal gave the spirit that the game wasn’t over.”
The Blugolds (16-2-4), who haven’t lost since Sept. 17, then followed up in crunch time when they went into heavy attack on a corner kick. A Northland Pines defender thwarted the throw, but Silcox got to the ball and sent it toward the goal as Onyeabor chased.
Silcox put the ball off the goalkeeper’s hands, and it then bounced off the crossbar. Onyeabor, who sat the last 25 minutes of the first half with an ankle injury, was there for the rebound and tie-breaking shot.
“I think he benefitted from his injury because he probably wasn’t moving as fast as he normally would and he was in good position,” Capwell said. “He was the only one who crashed as it went off the crossbar.”
Senior Jackson Knothe had nine saves and kept Northland Pines scoreless in the second half as the Blugolds ran their unbeaten streak to 16 games.
It was part of a strong performance against an unfamiliar team that won 14 games this season and had made eight state appearance. Capwell said Northland Pines played the first half on the attack while switching to a more defensive approach after halftime. His team took advantage.
“It was certainly exciting, and I know I was excited (about the win),” Capwell said. “We went (to state) two years ago, but that team was a very different one than what we have now.
“This team has more balance with possession, and if you look back at our last six goals, they’ve probably come from six different players. We’re doing a good job of putting individuals in good spots to score.”
Aquinas will play its state semifinal game at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee on Thursday. The twop semifinals will be played at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
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