MO Soccer Blog
11-1-23 Boys Postseason Blog #3
by Admin on 11/01/23
November 1, Boys Postseason #3
Another night, another defending champ goes home early.
This time it was reigning C2 winner and D6 #2 seed Marshall losing to St. Paul Lutheran 3-2 in OT. St. Paul advances to face #4 seed Sacred Heart, a 3-2 winner over top-seed Oak Grove. Sacred Heart isn’t your typical #4 seed after a 20-win regular season. The Gremlins have made things interesting in the postseason after two one-goal wins (4-3 over Odessa in the first round) push them to the finals.
C1 D6 top seed Crocker also saw its season end with a 4-2 loss to #5 seed Dixon. Dixon will try to do Friday what no other 5 seed has done since the latest playoff system of 8 districts in a class was put in place (2021) - win a district title. More on that later.
C4 D7 #1 Rock Bridge needed a goal with 37 seconds left to slip past #4 seed Blue Springs 2-1 and C4 D8 #1 Park Hill South escaped #4 Liberty 1-0 in OT, setting up an all Park Hill final as #2 Park Hill advanced over #3 Liberty North 6-1. Park Hill came in as an MPR underdog to Liberty North (but seeded higher) after having to forfeit five games at the end of the season, thus affecting its MPR score. Rock Bridge will take on Blue Springs South in the C4 D7 finals after BSS eliminated Smith-Cotton 3-0.
C3 D1 #1 Farmington needed a dazzling free kick goal with under five minutes left to get past a resurgent Poplar Bluff squad, while Cape Notre Dame won the battle of Cape Girardeau, eliminating Cape HS 2-0. Farmington and Cape ND meet up in Hillsboro Thursday to settle that competitive district.
No real surprises in C3 D2 where overall #1 Rockwood Summit took out Mehlville 3-0 and #2 Borgia routed Pacific 8-0, setting up a final between last year’s C1 champ (Borgia) and the C3 favorite (Summit).
C3 D6 action got underway in Branson with all four top seeds winning. C2 D7 also kicked off, with only #5 St. Pius (KC)’s 3-1 win over #4 Center shaking things up a bit. #1 Harrisonville advanced with a bye and will see Pius next.
Our first finals come tonight in five districts. (Teams with an MPR advantage have the + number next to them. Seed numbers are before the team’s name.)
C1 D8 - (1) Maryville (+1.58) vs. (2) Cristo Rey
C2 D8 - (1) Excelsior Springs (+.48) vs. (3) Bishop LeBlond
C3 D5 - (2) Springfield Catholic (+.62) vs. (4) Cap City
C3 D8 - (1) East (KC) vs. (2) Platte Co. (+.01) (About as close as you can get!)
C4 D6 - (1) Rockhurst (+1.10) vs. (3) Ray-Pec
There is certainly a precedent set once MSHSAA moved to the 8-team districts for all four classes in 2021. The top two seeds in the district have won nearly 88% (56/64) of the district titles. Three seeds have won six titles in the past two years, while only two #4 seeds have advanced. Only one 4 seed won in 2022 (Helias in C2), while Guadalupe pulled it off in 2021 C3 play.
2022 District Titles By Seed:
1 - 20
2 - 9
3 - 3
4 - 1
2021 District Titles By Seed:
1 - 17
2 - 10
3 - 4
4 - 1
Tomorrow…a BIG day with 31 games, including 13 finals.
10-31-23 Boys Postseason #2 Halloween edition
by Admin on 10/31/23
October 31, Boys Postseason #2
Happy Halloween everyone!?
There are 32 #1 seeds each year in the soccer playoffs - eight in each class. Teams spend the season striving to get a top seed with the idea of getting the #1 seed and perhaps getting an "easier" path to the state playoffs.
It doesn’t always go as planned.
The heaviest night of games schedule for the postseason saw 15 of the #1 seeds take the field on a brisk Missouri Monday evening and it didn’t take long for the #1 seeds to start dropping.
Four #1 seeds saw postseason dreams dashed in district semifinal play with two of them bowing out in central MO in early games.
In C2 D4, #4 School of the Osage’s convincing 3-0 win over #1 Moberly kicked off the first of two district upsets in Ashland. Osage (7-16-1) started the year with 10 straight losses, but have recovered to win six of its last nine. Moberly’s (14-9) late season swoon continued as the Spartans lost three of its four matches. Osage will play #3 seed Fulton, who edged #2 host team Southern Boone 4-3. SBC had topped Fulton 3-2 just two weeks ago and had won 14 straight against Fulton. SBC won the C1 state title in 2020 in its 11th consecutive playoff appearance but hasn’t won a district since.
Just down the road in Jefferson City, C3 D5 host and #4 seed Capital City shocked #1 Camdenton 3-1 with three goals in the final 22 minutes. The Lakers played the second half a man down and even went up a goal down a player, but CC converted two free kick opportunities and a late strike to win a wild one. The second semi in that game may have been even crazier. #2 seed Springfield Catholic punched in a game-tying goal with just 16 seconds left in regulation, before getting the game-winner the second OT to oust #3 Rolla 3-2.
C3 D7 host #4 Van Horn ended #1 seed St. Michael’s season with a 2-1 win, making SMA the highest ranked MPR team to go home early. The Guardians entered the playoffs as the overall #2 team in C3, but fell to Van Horn (4th in 2021) for the second time in a week after also losing 4-1 the previous Tuesday. SMA had knocked off VH 1-0 prior to the seed meeting in mid October.
There will not be a repeat champ in C3. C3 D3 #1 (and 2022 winner) Webster Groves became the fourth #1 to fall after #4 seed Ladue earned a 1-0 win off a corner kick rebound. Ladue’s 9-14 mark is a bit misleading after having to forfeit four games earlier in the season and the Rams are only two years removed from a C3 runner-up finish. This district is always a fun one and the final should be quality as well, with perennial title-chaser Whitfield meeting Ladue in the finals Thursday.
By the numbers, the two biggest upsets according to the MPR weren’t actually #1 seeds. In C2 D1, #6 Saxony-Lutheran took out #3 Perryville 2-1 in penalties. Perryville, C2 runner ups in 2021 and champs in 2014, entered with a +1.07 in the MPR and ranked #9 in C2, while Saxony was 38th. This is the classic case of postseason meets local rivalry equals not expected result. Perryville's in-season mark against common opponents heavily favored the Pirates, but the two local schools don't play in the regular season, so a one-off game means anything can happen and for the second consecutive year Saxony advances 2-1.
However, the biggest upset of this year’s tournament so far goes to C2 D3 #6 St. Charles West (3-18-1) after routing #3 University City (13-4) 5-2. UCity (#15) entered with a +1.18 advantage over SCW (#42), which had lost 11 in a row entering district play.
In other non-upset news, C4 overall #1 Rockhurst rolled along to another final with a 3-0 win over Lee’s Summit West. The Hawklets will play #3 seed Ray-Pec, 2-1 OT winners over #2 Carthage Monday.
The other 10 #1 seeds won matches last night by an average of 6.1 goals.
Tonight (Tuesday) features 22 matches, with C2 D7 and C3 D6 getting their districts started and eight others playing semifinals. Wednesday will see our first district champions crowned as five title matches kick off among the 18 scheduled games.
10-30-23 Boys Postseason #1
by Admin on 10/30/23
October 30 Boys Postseason #1
We are off!
Saturday saw 48 district games kick off in Classes 2, 3 and 4. Tonight (Monday) is the biggest slate of games - 59 on tap across the state in all 4 classes - with finals scheduled through next Tuesday (11-7). With the elimination of the sectional round a few years ago, several districts have decided to space out games a bit more so there isn’t the long waiting period between district finals and quarterfinals.
As always, we had a few shockers from the opening round already, but for the most part, Saturday stayed status quo based on seedings and the MO Power Rankings (MPR). 42 of the 48 games went “as scheduled” in both seeding and MPR.
The biggest upset involved MO's reigining master of the upset - C4’s Jackson - but this time it worked against the Indians. Northwest Cedar Hill pulled off a 2-0 win over the 2020 surprise champs. Jackson, seeded 3rd in D1, was also a +1.05 in the MPR and had handled Northwest 3-0 in mid-September.
Another surprise in C4 happened in Columbia when 6-seed Smith-Cotton got an OT winner to eliminate district host Hickman 1-0. Hickman had a +.87 edge over S-C and had defeated the Tigers 2-0 earlier in the season.
C3 also saw a few mild upsets with 9th ranked and D7 3-seeded Warrensburg losing to 24th ranked William Chrisman 2-1, ending a nice breakout season for the Tigers. Pembroke Hill’s regular season wasn’t up to its usual standards (4-15-1), but the 6-seeded Raiders are still alive after knocking off Lincoln Prep 1-0 in its opener. 5-seed Mehlville may have had the best opening round performance in routing 4-seed Union 8-0 in C3 D2.
The bulk of the action is still to come, of course, but there is some benefit in looking back over the past few years to see how teams at the top of our final MPR regular season rankings have fared.
Mostly great for the #1s, so potential good news for Bishop DuBourg (C1), Westminster Christian (C2), Rockwood Summit (C3) and Rockhurst (C4). A side note: Rockhurst will look to join a small list of schools that have won three in a row and seek the perfect season. The Hawklets got off to a great start with a 13-0 win over Ruskin Saturday.
2020 was of course the pandemic year and things were a little different with the rankings and several teams not participating, but both Southern Boone (C1) and Ft. Zumwalt South (C3) entered as favorites and won. MICDS (C2) and Jackson (C4) also won titles, but weren’t the top teams going in.
Enjoy the week, dress warm and stay tuned…
'22 Boys Postseason #10 (11-22) Final Four Recap and Awards Season Ahead
by Admin on 11/22/22
End of Season 11-22-22
Wow, what a way to finish the 55th year of recognized soccer in Missouri! Saturday’s finals had all the drama and competitiveness that this time of the year calls for and with those memorable games, we turn our focus on our postseason awards and recognition.
But first, a quick recap of the weekend’s action and a deeper look into the champs and the classes they won.
In year three of the Championship Factor, it can certainly be argued that the competitive level has been improved as far as the tournament goes. While geography certainly plays a large role in which teams make the final four, this year’s tournament certainly seemed to match teams of equal levels. The biggest indicator - of the 32 games played in the state tournament (quarterfinals on - eight games in each class) - 19 of those 32 games were decided by one goal. Incredibly, all seven of the elimination games in Class 4 were one-goal affairs and none went into extra time. Only Rock Bridge’s 2-0 win over St. Dominic in the 3rd place game had more than a one-goal differential. Rockhurst’s 1-0 championship win over CBC was decided in the last eight minutes by a penalty kick in the run of play, finishing a worthy final from the state’s two most decorated teams. Rockhurst now has nine titles, one behind CBC’s state-leading ten.
Classes 2 and 3 had a little more drama in the later games but not as much in the earlier rounds. Both the C3 final and third place matches ended in penalties - Webster Grove’s heart-pounding 3-2 win over a determined East (KC) squad was a highlight, giving the Statesmen their third title. East pulled even in the waning moments of regulation forcing the OT and penalties. In the third place game, Last year’s C2 champ, Whitfield, also finished the year with a win as it outlasted Glendale 2-1 in penalties. Five of the eight C3 games were decided by one goal.
Class 2 wasn’t to be outdone in the finals. Eventual champion Marshall held a 1-0 lead late in the match before Orchard Farm scored with under two minutes left to force extra time. The Owls prevailed in penalties for another classic championship finale, winning its first ever soccer title. Excelsior Springs and Saxony Lutheran also put the sting of losing the semis behind them, battling to a 2-2 draw in regulation time before Excelsior Springs earned a 3-2 penalties win. Only one other C2 game was a one-goal game, but the C2 tourney had plenty of upsets and new faces getting their first look at playoff soccer.
In Class 1, more tension and late drama in the finals as St. Francis Borgia found a crack in the Summit Christian defense with just over two minutes left that gave them a 1-0 win and its first state title. Bishop DuBourg secured a third place finish with a 1-0 win over New Covenant Academy.
In all, 16 matches were played over the weekend - 11 of them decided by one goal and none by more than two goals. Pretty incredible and likely unprecedented in MO.
In looking at each of the four 2022 champions’ paths to winning, there are two common themes that stand out. The first - defense. Rockhurst allowed four goals once the playoffs started in six games (0.67 Goals Allowed Average), with two of them in the semifinal win over high-scoring Rock Bridge. Webster Groves was even better - giving up two over the final six games (0.33 GAA) - both to East (KC) who had scored 106 over the year and a whopping 29 over its final six games. Marshall also was stingy with its back line, conceding three in the five playoff games (0.60 GAA). Borgia had the playoff’s most lopsided win in the quarters (7-0), but from there, the defense carried the team by only allowing two over its final five matches (0.40 GAA).
The other theme is a common one for almost any champion - overcoming a tense moment and finding a way to advance. Each of the four champions had to dodge a potential loss throughout their runs. Borgia and Father Tolton battled in a seesaw district final match that went to the seventh penalty kicker before winning and each game-winner over the finals weekend came late in the contest. Marshall nearly fell in its district final, as well. Odessa took the higher-ranked Owls to OT before Marshall got the decider. Webster Groves and rival Rockwood Summit also matched up in an epic district title match that WG won in penalties. 2021 champ Rockhurst fielded a young squad that grew up quickly in the postseason - a late goal by a freshman in the quarters win over Kickapoo and a huge game from a freshman GK in the finals - sent a team with only five seniors to a state title. Rockhurst ended the year #14 nationally.
Today, we released our final 2022 Missouri Power Rankings for all classes and a combined one for all teams - a strength of schedule release will come later. Tomorrow (11-23), we will release our all state teams that will recognize the top players and coaches our state had to offer this year. This is not a perfect science but a lot of people put an incredible amount of time into working with each other to honor our sport as best we can. In a few weeks our national awards will also come out - this year we will have 5 All Americans and 20 All Central Region (MO-KS-ND-SD-IL-MT) players to celebrate as well as three coaches of the year up for regional and national awards. The United Soccer Coaches designates a Small School (Classes 1-2) public, a Large School (Classes 3-4) public and a private/parochial coach of the year for each state that will be eligible for regional and national awards. As a state we honor a private and a public coach of the year in each class.
Additionally, we will have many other awards to come - Academic Team, Ass’t Coach of the Year and our latest Hall of Fame inductees just to name a few - in advance of our All State Banquet to be held January 7, 2023 in Columbia, MO. This is our first banquet “back” in person since Covid in 2020. Look for more details after Thanksgiving.
The season may be over, but we will have much more to come over the next few weeks. Have a healthy, happy and restful Thanksgiving Break!
'22 Boys Postseason #9 (11-18) Final Four Preview
by Admin on 11/18/22
Final Four Preview 11-17-22
The final weekend of soccer for 2022 is here with 16 teams still alive in the four classes and looking to cap their seasons with championship trophies. It’s going to be a brisk weekend (again - after last week’s chilly quarterfinals) at the World Wide Technology Soccer Park - one of the many challenges that await each team (and the fans!) this weekend. For those interested in watching from the comfort of their own home, all games will be broadcast live at https://www.mshsaa.tv/ (subscription/payment required). Tickets for each day are $10 and can be purchased online at https://www.mshsaa.org/CMSPages/Tickets.aspx.
There is a chance we could see four first-time winners this weekend, and at the bare minimum will see one first-time champ as Class 2 is full of teams without titles. Class 1 will once again have a private school champ as all four participants are private/parochial. In Class 3, the #1 and #2 teams meet in the semis as four of the top six squads advanced, while Class 4 has a who’s who of MO soccer powers, including a 13-loss team that would be the overall MO #1 if not for a half-season of forfeits due to an ineligible player.
So far, the Missouri Power Rankings have correctly picked 10 of the 12 state champions in the past three years (Guadalupe in 2019 and Jackson in 2020 were the exceptions). This year, the MPR has been correct 75% of the time (153/208). Teams with an MPR advantage are listed with (+.) next to its record. The average margin for “upset” this year has been within .25. Last year it was .31. There have been 47 MPR upsets under .50 this year, with only six above that range. The only MPR difference over .50 in the semis is the Rockhurst-Rock Bridge game that is skewed by Rock Bridge’s forfeits. In fact, RB would likely be the MPR favorite without them.
Class 1
Quarter recap: Borgia jumped all over Duchesne early and cruised to a lopsided 7-0 win. Bishop DuBourg took care of Brentwood 3-0. New Covenant also cruised, topping Smithton 3-0. The only drama of Class 1 came at Maryville where the Spoofhounds led #1 Summit Christian 2-0 late in the first half before SCA cut into the lead with 20 seconds left in the half. Two more second half goals, the last on a penalty, gave the Eagles the 3-2 win.
10 AM
#4 St. Francis Borgia (13-9) (+.30) vs. #10 Bishop DuBourg (14-11)
There is probably no hotter C1 team than Borgia right now. The Knights roll into the semis with a lot of confidence and a five-game winning streak that includes a 4-2 win over Bishop DuBourg Oct. 24. Maybe even more telling is the 1-0 loss to St. Dominic, a C4 semifinalist, just days prior to that Dubourg game. Borgia had lost 8-0 to St. Dominic earlier, but they seem to have found a different gear since after escaping a difficult district with 2-1 wins, the final a 2-1 penalty win over #2 Father Tolton. This is Borgia’s fourth Final Four, with its best finish a 2002 runner-up. Bishop DuBourg limped into the postseason with four straight losses, but has been solid since. This is the sixth matchup between the teams with Borgia winning the previous five. Take away the Borgia game earlier and DuBourg has only given up four other goals since October started. DuBourg does have a co-championship to its credit - all the way back when Star Wars was released (1977). This is also DuBourg’s fourth semifinal appearance.
12 PM
#1 Summit Christian Academy (17-6) (+.38) vs. #6 New Covenant Academy (17-8-1)
Two newcomers to semifinal play meet up in semifinal #2. SCA rides in as the top team in C1, but the Eagles always seem to make things interesting. Case in point, one week it beats Barstow in penalties, 12 days later it loses to the same squad, 5-0. New Covenant has also been a bit unpredictable, but since it’s been win or out, the Warriors haven’t given up a goal, including a 1-0 elimination of previous #1 Laquey in the district finals.
Class 2
Quarter recap: Saxony Lutheran scored in the game’s opening 10 minutes and held on for its third consecutive nail biter, topping Principia 1-0. Orchard Farm jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 21 minutes en route to eliminating Helias 3-1. Marshall also scored twice in the opening half in its 3-0 victory over School of the Osage. Excelsior Springs’ complete game ousted Barstow, 5-0.
2:30 PM
#9 Saxony Lutheran (15-9) vs. #3 Orchard Farm (20-5) (+.45)
Saxony Lutheran keeps finding a way to win as it looks to better its only other semifinals appearance - a 4th place in 2017. The Crusaders have won seven in a row behind its defense (six shutouts in those seven matches) and opportunistic offense. Saxony may look a little out-matched in this one on paper, but a demanding schedule, including the SLUH tournament where it matched up with Chaminade and two-time champ Ft. Zumwalt South should have it prepared for the big stage. This is also a program that knows how to win, having captured seven districts in the past nine years. Orchard Farm is also in its second final four, with many of the same players from the 2020 squad that finished second. The Eagles are only in year seven as a program, but have averaged 19 wins over the past five years and are a tournament favorite after eliminating #1 Westminster Christian in the district finals. The Eagles defense has been spectacular all year - outside two matches against Ft. Zumwalt North (5-0) and Gateway Academy (7-0) OF has only given up nine goals in the run of play.
5 PM
#2 Marshall (22-2-1) (+.43) vs. #7 Excelsior Springs (15-5)
Both teams earned their way to STL with convincing quarter wins. Outside of one week (back-to-back losses to Hannibal and Father Tolton late in October), the Owls are undefeated on the season and have the extra motivation to make up for the 4-0 loss to Excelsior Springs last season in the district finals. This is Marshall’s fourth semifinal appearance - finishing fourth the previous three times, the last in 2010. Excelsior Springs has made it back-to-back final fours and third in its history - having finished second in 2004 and third last season. Look for this one to be close: Marshall tied Battle 2-2, while Excelsior Springs won over Battle 3-2. Each team has the ability to score - defense will be the key here.
Class 3
Quarter Recap: Webster Groves and Cape Notre Dame were tied 0-0 at half before the Statesmen’s depth wore down CND in a 4-0 win. Whitfield scored in the first OT period to propel the Warriors to a 1-0 win over Ft. Zumwalt East. Glendale was a huge favorite at Webb City, but the Cardinals had other plans, leading 1-0 midway through the second half. Webb City actually had a penalty kick saved by the Glendale GK that would’ve put it up 2-0. Instead, Glendale rallied for goals in the 63rd and 79th minute to eke out a 2-1 win. East (KC) was too much for Jefferson City, eliminating the Jays 6-0.
11 AM
#1 Webster Groves (19-3-3) (+.29) vs. #2 Whitfield (18-3)
It’s not often that a team coming off a state title and a runner-up in the past two years AND one with eight titles to its name isn’t the one favored to win, but such is the case in this 1 vs. 2 semi. Whitfield finished second in 2020 in the C1 finals, then won the C2 championship last year. Based on the Championship Factor, the Warriors jumped to C3 this year, but it hasn’t slowed them much. In fact, Whitfield has won 18 of 19, losing only to Ladue, a team it beat in the district finals just one week later. Even with all of that, #1 Webster Groves has been nearly as good. The Statesmen haven’t given up a goal in the postseason and survived its biggest test when it ousted rival and fellow two-time champ Rockwood Summit in penalties in the district finals. A fun fact…this is Whitfield’s 12th semifinal appearance. The Warriors have won all 11 previous semis, but all of those were in Class 1 or 2. WG is in its fifth final four, all within the past nine years, winning two (2014,15).
1:30 PM
#4 Glendale (24-4) (+.19) vs. #6 East (KC) (19-2-1)
This is the second match-up of the season between these two as Glendale won the first one, 1-0 at the Parkview Tournament. Glendale enters its ninth final four under Coach Jeff Rogers still looking for its first title. The Falcons finished third last season and have twice reached the championship, losing the C3 title in 2008 to Rockhurst and the 2014 title to Webster Groves. Glendale traded wins and losses to open the year 3-3 before posting a 21-1 mark since Sept. 10, the day the Falcons matched up with East. The only loss during that stretch Oct. 14 to Pembroke Hill in penalties - the second straight year the Raiders upset Glendale. East has been an offensive juggernaut most of the season - scoring 25 goals in the four postseason games alone. The Bears haven’t lost since that Glendale game, tying Blue Valley West (KS) 2-2 and winning its other 15. Back to Pembroke Hill…East beat them twice within the last few weeks, 8-1 and 4-1 so Glendale will have its work cut out. East’s scenario is similar to the 2019 Guadalupe Center squad that won class 2 in its first appearance after the top two teams in C2 (Priory and John Burroughs) battled into OT in the semis. Guadalupe stunned a worn-out Priory in the finals that year…
Class 4
Quarter Recap: CBC and Lindbergh hooked up in another close one with CBC’s first half goal holding up in a 1-0 Cadet win. St. Dominic scored late to eliminate Chaminade 2-1. For the second straight year Rockhurst got a huge goal from a freshman in its 1-0 win over Kickapoo. Rock Bridge made a first-half goal stand up in a 1-0 win at Liberty North.
4 PM
#6 CBC (16-9) (+.43) vs. #12 St. Dominic (18-8-2)
Normally, seeing CBC and St. Dominic in the finals wouldn’t be much of a shock to anyone who has followed MO soccer, but this is not a normal year for either squad that has combined for 15 state titles and 33 final fours. Legendary coaches Terry Michler (CBC) and Greg Koeller (St. Dominic) are quite familiar with the final four scene, but 2022 has been a challenge for both and quite frankly, neither squad was expected to get here. Even the district opener was difficult for CBC as the Cadets had to go OT to beat Priory. That started a string of four one-goal wins that propelled CBC into its first semi since 2018, the year of its last title. This will be the 16th time since 2008 these two have played, with CBC winning 12, including a 3-2 decision Sept. 29. CBC has never come to a semifinal and not won at least one game (10 1st, six runner-ups and five 3rd place finishes). St. Dominic opened 5-6-2, but has since righted the ship, losing only to then #1 DeSmet and #5 SLUH. Since then, the Crusaders have topped the latest #1 Chaminade twice and seem to be playing their best soccer of the season. Dominic has also been in a bit of a title drought - last winning C2 (when there was three classes) in 2013, it’s fifth title that started in 2004.
7 PM
#3 Rockhurst 19-2-2 (+.80) vs. #20 Rock Bridge (12-13)
The final - and likely very cold - match of the day may be the most entertaining. Defending C4 champion and final four record holder (27) Rockhurst looks to repeat against the team that either was or would’ve been the state’s top-ranked squad most of the year in Rock Bridge. The Bruins had to forfeit 13 games at the end of the year due to an ineligible player (RB’s only “real” loss was to Rockwood Summit Sept. 15), but have rallied to win all four postseason games on the road since. Rockhurst hasn’t been as stingy defensively as in year’s past (eight shutouts this year compared to 16 last season), but still did what Rockhurst has done for years, which is get into the playoffs. Since 1984 the Hawklets have won a district in every year except 2011 when they lost in the district finals to Lee’s Summit West in OT. That’s 37 out of the last 38 years of being a title contender, a mark no other program even comes close to. Rock Bridge is in its 6th semifinal, losing the previous five but rallied to finish third in each of them, most recently in the 2016 semis that Rockhurst won 2-0. This is the two school’s 9th match up since 2008 with each team winning four. One potential thing to look for this year - Rock Bridge rosters 14 seniors, while Rockhurst has five.
