Game 16

Game 16 – 10/12/07
Rebels Keep Their Cool in 3-0 Win Over Physical Dubourg Team

The Priory J.V. soccer team faced Bishop Dubourg on Friday afternoon. Before the game even started, it was apparent that the Dubourg squad did not lack size or strength. However, what the Rebels lacked in size they made up for in skill, teamwork, and knowledge of the game. The first half was back and forth. The Rebels created the majority of the chances and worked hard to win balls in the air. The Rebels dominated the 50/50 chances in the air despite being undersized and overmatched physically. The Dubourg defense held for most of the half and the Rebels couldn’t seem to find the net. However, with about 15 minutes remaining in the half, the Rebels earned a free kick from about half. Brandon Wehking stepped up to the ball and showed off the Wehking-leg, sending the ball soaring to the top of the box. Patrick Mulvihill worked hard to get into position and climbed the ladder to flick the ball into the box with his head. Sean Lamb made a timely run to get to the ball and he calmly put it into the nearside of the net to beat the keeper. The Dubourg squad responded to this 1-0 deficit and started to spring some dangerous attacks of their own. It looked as if Dubourg would equalize when a forward broke free on a run and headed toward the Rebel goal. However, junior goalkeeper Bobby Heitz came out and made a spectacular save on the first shot and then made an even more impressive save on the rebound. Heitz’s second save drew him out of the box and Dubourg received a free kick opportunity from a dangerous distance. A Dubourg player fired a shot to the upper right corner of the goal and it appeared that the game would be tied. However, Heitz made a third unbelievable save in as many shots and preserved his season-long shutout streak. At halftime, the Rebels were clinging to a 1-0 lead.

At halftime, the Rebels knew that they would have to put Dubourg away in the second half and not let them stick around. The Priory squad came out strong in the second half and did just that. They put pressure on the Dubourg defense and started to earn some free kicks. Ten minutes into the half, they earned another kick from the half-line and Brandon Wehking stepped up to the ball once again, hoping to hit another dangerous ball into the box with his powerful foot. He put another ball into the mix and Mulvihill once again deflected it into even more danger and when the Dubourg keeper couldn’t hang on to the ball, Jack Wegman put it into the vacated net. At this point in the game, the Dubourg squad became reckless. Frustrated and outplayed, the Dubourg team started to let loose some language and some fouls. The Rebels kept their heads and played smart. They showed class and calm, and they let the referees handle the Dubourg players. The remainder of the game lacked rhythm, because the Rebels would try to build attacks but they would be fouled and play would have to halt for the distribution of yellow and red cards. The defense remained solid though, and Sam Sagartz protected the Rebel net from any Dubourg attempts. Eventually, the Rebels capitalized once again after a careless foul gave them another free kick. The kick soared into the box and after a bit of a scramble, Jack Wegman got the ball to James Kopfensteiner who iced the game and gave the Rebels a 3-0 lead. At the end of the day, the Rebels had earned an impressive and hard-fought 3-0 victory. However, they also showed a great amount of maturity. The players on this team had learned from previous experiences, and showed that they had grown as young men who could proudly represent Saint Louis Priory School on the soccer field.

Goals: Lamb (4), Wegman (8), Kopfensteiner (4)

Assists: Mulvihill 2 (4, 5), Wegman (1)

Shutout: Heitz (2), Sagartz (1)

Game Balls: Wehking, Heitz