Millard South boys oust Southwest in A-1 soccer

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BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Andrew Ferguson believes that soccer gods exist. The Lincoln Southwest boys coach also believes this.

“They must not like us.”

A 1-0 victory by Millard South in the A-1 district semifinal left Silver Hawks littered about Seacrest Field, forced to convert jerseys into tissues.

Southwest, picked No. 1 to enter the season, won’t make the state tournament.

“This is the best team I’ve ever seen play high school soccer, to be honest with you,” Ferguson said of his team. “They play the game skillfully and the right way. … It’s a tragedy that they’re not going to be in state. You can not name off eight teams that are better.”

The Patriots, though maybe not better in most aspects of Wednesday’s game, were better on the scoreboard thanks to a goal by senior defender Bob Rech.

Rech, the tallest guy on the field, elevated the highest and used his head to redirect a corner kick into the net with just 7:16 left in the game.

Southwest goalkeeper Brandon Garratt, who had an otherwise fabulous game, really couldn’t do much about it.

“He did whatever he could for 79 minutes,” Ferguson said of the junior.

The win pushed No. 4 Millard South’s record to 12-4 and sets them up for a district final showdown on Friday with either Lincoln East or Papillion-La Vista.

Most importantly, the win secured a state tournament bid for the Patriots, who, even with a Friday loss, would still reach state on a wild card.

“I just feel bad for them because they’re one of the best teams in the state,” Millard South coach Jim Cooney said of the Silver Hawks. “They probably had more dangerous chances than we had tonight.”

In the end, Southwest (11-5) was especially kicking itself for two missed opportunities in the first half.

The Silver Hawks almost scored in the 22nd minute when Bryce Petersen just missed wide on a header.

Another chance came in the 36th minute when a shot by Stephen Daubert appeared headed for an open net. At the last moment, a Millard South player’s head got in the way. It was Rech.

That’s not to say Millard South didn’t have near misses of its own. Midway through the second half, the Patriots’ Devon Strecker was thwarted of goals twice on sprawling saves by Garratt.

It’s the second year in a row Millard South has ended Southwest’s season. Last year, the Patriots took down the Silver Hawks in a district final in a shootout.

Taking the loss as hard as anyone was Ferguson, who was coaching this Southwest team on a one-year interim basis. He was holding down the position for Dan Carpenter, who is serving a fellowship in Washington, D.C.

A longtime club coach, Ferguson called the defeat easily the toughest he’s had.

If he had one request on his way out the door, it would be to the Nebraska School Activities Association, which assigns districts before the season rather than seeding them afterward based on accomplishment.

This year, No. 1 East, No. 4 Millard South and No. 6 Southwest were all in one district.

“I really hope the NSAA revises the district system next year so it’s not unfair to the teams,” he said, “so things like this will not happen.”

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.