Timely goal sparks Columbia past Father McGivney for ninth consecutive victory
COLUMBIA, Ill. — With the final seconds of the first half ticking away Saturday morning, the visiting Griffins of Father McGivney High were feeling pretty good about themselves.
But host Columbia wasn't quite ready for the halftime break.
With well-timed precision, the Eagles raced to get off a corner kick that changed the game. Quinten Frentzel hurriedly got the ball in play, sending it to the far side of the visitors' goal for Luke DeWilde, whose header across the goal mouth found senior Hayes Van Breusegen for a header that was the first goal of the game.
The goal, with just four seconds to play before halftime, was key as the Eagles went on to a 3-0 victory.
"I really hope we've got that one on film,'' said Van Breusegen, who added a second-half goal and who leads the Eagles this season with 12 tallies. "The ball went from the ball girl down the sideline like a cutoff play in baseball. We had to hurry to get the play off and then to finish it off like we did. The excitement in our locker room at halftime was incredible. And then we carried that momentum into the second half. Getting that late goal changed everything for us."
And for Father McGivney.
"We felt really good about our first half,'' McGivney coach Matt McVicar said. "Columbia's a tough team and a very skilled team. But we created some chances and felt like we were right there with them. But they got the goal in the last seconds before the half and then got two more just after the break.
"To see something like that, it's demoralizing. We have to be better than that."
Before that late first-half goal, each team created some decent scoring chances. Less than 5 minutes in, the Griffins' Mason Holmes played a through ball for McGivney's top scorer, Spencer Martin. But Columbia goalkeeper Brady Hemminghaus was strong off his line to smother the loose ball.
Columbia created several decent chances through the opening half, but McGivney goalkeeper Patrick Grirer was more than up to the challenge, making several good stops. Late in the half, following a long throw-in, Columbia keeper Hemminghaus made a one-handed stop to keep the game at 0-0.
McGivney's Martin created another scoring chance six minutes after halftime. Battling a pair of Columbia defenders, he managed to get off a shot, but it went wide. A couple of minutes later, the home team was up 2-0.
Columbia's DeWilde played the ball forward to Van Breusegen, whose shot was partially blocked by a defender but still found the net for a 2-0 Eagles advantage.
Five or so minutes later, Columbia's Micah James played a ball into the box for DeWilde, whose header was tipped over the bar by Grierer for a corner kick. After a heat delay that sent both teams to the bench for hydration, James' corner to the far side was knocked into the net by fellow senior Sully Bonaldi for the 3-0 final.
"Columbia's a great team and a well-coached team,'' said McVicar, whose squad saw its record slip to 8-3-1. "Hopefully we'll get another shot at them in the playoffs; You can't keep making the mistakes we made today against a quality opponent and expect to stay in the game."
Columbia improved to 9-2 with its ninth consecutive win and seventh consecutive shutout. The Eagles opened the season with losses to Belleville West and Louisville Collegiate. That weekend, sophomore defender Crawford Bryant died in a car accident.
"We still have work to do, but I like where we're at,''' Columbia coach Jamey Bridges said. "We worked through some things early and feel like we're on a good track now. We have a lot of components and we're inspired, playing for Crawford."
Liam Bivins, a senior defender, said the Eagles take special pride in their current shutout streak.
"Our goalies (seniors Brady Hemminghaus and Brayden Keys) are playing great and we're working well as a unit in front of them,'' Bivins said. "Playing strong defense and getting those shutouts means a lot to us. We knew (Father McGivney) would be a test for us and we turned in another strong game."
Van Breusegen, who plans to play next year at Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., felt his team grew stronger as Saturday's game progressed.
"It's a game we've been looking forward to and one we've been talking about all week,'' he said, referencing the Eagles' 2-1 OT win over the Griffins in last year's playoffs. Columbia went to a third-place finish at state. "We knew they'd be a test. But our defense stepped it up and I thought we did a good job of possessing the ball and finishing on our chances. We know there's always room for improvement, but we also know we beat a quality opponent."
