The road crowd beyond the opposite sideline thought it had its equalizer.
Seventy-five minutes into the Class B Subdistrict 5 Tournament final at South Sioux City High School, the supporters of the Blair boys soccer team believed they'd seen the match-tying goal and celebrated accordingly.
“Just, from this angle, it looked like it went in,” Bears coach Curt Scott said after a season-ending, 1-0 loss. “And, to be honest, it almost felt like you deserved one. You know what I mean? I think that's where a lot of (the reaction) was coming from.”
Unfortunately for BHS, Riley Wolff's header off of a Crayton Macholan throw-in just missed to the right of the right goal post. It looked like it snuck in from across the field, but it just hadn't.
As a result, Blair closed its season at 4-9 overall. It went 1-1 in subdistrict play, while the top-seeded Cardinals (7-8 overall) improved to 2-0 and advanced to the district finals round.
“I am so proud of the way these guys played,” Scott said. “I am so proud of these seniors.”
South Sioux City scored the match's lone goal by penalty kick during the 15th minute. Blair goalkeeper Mark Donner drew a yellow card and was forced to sit out the free shot when he came up from in front of the goal and inadvertently sent a Cardinal flipping. The BHS senior slid under the SSC forward in an attempt to pick up the ball, but set up Jose Hernandez's goal instead. The hometown senior beat backup goalkeeper Peter Clarke for a 1-0 advantage.
The deficit held through the rest of the match despite the Bears' hustle to change it. In the 56th minute, Jacob Czapla headed Macholin's first sideline throw into the goal box over then net.
Then, in the 75th, Wolff's shot narrowly missed, too. Both came before Elias Cortez's final opportunity to extend his senior season. The midfielder's 79th-minute free kick was picked up by the Cardinals' keeper.
The Blair loss ended the high school careers of Czapla, Kip Tupa, Cortez, Andres Iniguez, Zyler Wyman, James Dobbins, Tyler Schroder and Donner. Scott said he'd much rather of seen his team's season continue, particularly with how hard it played and with how big of scare it gave the hometown South Sioux City club.
“It's a good group,” the coach said of his Bears. “It's a tight group.”
Cortez, a captain, he described as “irreplaceable.”
