The final 12 seconds brought heartbreak for the St. Louis U. High varsity soccer team on Saturday. Playing against Chaminade for the District Semifinal, the Jr. Bills maintained possession and kept a steady back line, only to be knocked out by an outstanding header by a Chaminade player with time expiring.  

Going into the game, the Jr. Bills knew what to expect from their MCC rival, having played Chaminade on Oct. 16. Although they lost that game 1-0, the Jr. Bills were confident with how they played overall during the 80 minutes. 

“We felt good about the matchup. We had played them earlier in the season and knew what to expect,” said varsity head coach Bob O’Connell. “It was a good matchup for us if we could score.”

Coming out strong in the first five minutes of the game, SLUH looked to capitalize early against Chaminade, something they failed to do in their earlier matchup. With SLUH dominating possession, senior Adam Wolfe was awarded a free kick seven yards outside Chaminade’s penalty box. Senior defender Jaylen Sinclair tried to find junior midfielder Stephen Saladin with a quick kick pass into the box, but it was just a little long and went out of bounds. The early signs for SLUH’s offense were positive. 

With 14:06 remaining in the first half, SLUH’s constant pressure at Chaminade's end was awarded with a free kick just outside the right corner of Chaminade’s penalty box. Senior attacker Jack Rudder took the free kick, a dipping shot over the Chaminade wall that was saved comfortably by the goalkeeper. 

For the remainder of the first half, SLUH continued to apply pressure in Chaminade’s own half, only rewarding their MCC rivals two corner kicks. 

“We were good. The message at half was incredibly positive,” said O’Connell. “We went over the same checklist of roles we did at the beginning of the game, and they were doing everything we had asked.”

In the second half, SLUH was immediately forced to defend. A minute into the second half, Chaminade was awarded a free kick just outside the left corner of SLUH’s penalty box. Senior goalkeeper Johnny Barr set up a two-man wall and positioned himself closer to the far post, ready for the shot. The Chaminade attacker hit a low swirling shot around the two-man wall, the ball curving unpredictably due to the wind. A diving save by Barr kept the ball from sliding in the near post, and SLUH dodged going down 1-0. 

With 28:04 remaining in either Chaminade or SLUH’s final minutes of the season, the Jr. Bills were awarded a corner kick. Taken by Wolfe, the well-struck ball ricocheted off a Chaminade defender and found senior midfielder Jacob Hammond at the top of the box who deflected the ball back in. Saving the ball from going out of bounds, sophomore defender Caiden Harris shielded the ball from a defender, searching for an open Jr. Bill. Unable to find one, Harris’s pass to the middle of the box was cleared by a Chaminade defender and the score remained 0-0.

Both teams, Chamindade and SLUH, played excellent defense for the first 30 minutes of the second half, limiting their opposition to corner kicks and shots from outside the 18-yard box. 

With 6:25 remaining in the game, SLUH had its best chance to score. Saladin, receiving the ball at midfield, dribbled past a Chaminade defender into the penalty box. Chipping the ball to his left, freshman Grant Locker hit a low one-timer just by the far post, narrowly missing. 

As SLUH failed to convert on what was the best scoring chance for either team so far, Chaminade and SLUH looked as if they were headed to overtime. However, with only 40 seconds left in the game, Chaminade was awarded a corner kick. 

Moving slowly and taking their time, Chaminade kicked the corner with only 16 seconds remaining. A high ball arcing toward the penalty spot found a jumping Chaminade defender, who headed the ball into the top left corner of the Jr. Bills’ net. Their best chance of the game came when it needed to and Chaminade celebrated, while the Jr. Bills hung their heads in heartbreak. 

“It was a painful way to lose,” said O’Connell. “They capitalized on their chance, and that’s that.”

Heartbroken in the final seconds of the game, SLUH was knocked out of the state tournament, ending the season with a 5-6 record. Although the result was not one SLUH wanted, what the Jr. Bills accomplished this year was impressive, able to say they played soccer in the midst of a pandemic. Determined to build on their success this year, the 10 underclassmen look to build on their success this year into next. 

“We will still have a lot of talent next year,” said junior Evan Yalavarthi. “And with a normal season, we’ll be able to prepare better than this year.”