The rude awakening to Oak Grove’s dream season in boys soccer occurred Thursday night.
After upsetting No. 2-seeded Staley and No. 3 Kearney in the first two rounds of the Class 2 District 8 tournament, seventh-seeded Oak Grove fell 7-1 to top-seeded Smithville in the tournament final at Excelsior Springs High School.
“For our program, just this run through this district tournament has just been amazing, a dream come true for these kids,” Panthers coach Ben Thomason said. “They worked so hard all season.”
The Panthers, in their second season of boys soccer, finished 14-11. According to Thomason, Oak Grove’s season doesn’t reflect “how good our team actually is.”
“I think we have a very talented core group of kids that play soccer and are experienced with soccer and can play the sport well,” he said.
Still, for the Panthers to play at the level of Smithville – winners of eight straight district titles, including four in Class 2 – there is a key aspect of their game they must develop, Thomason said.
“We just need to play harder for longer minutes,” he said. “Play more consistent, I think, is our goal.”
They also must learn to play without fear, suggested senior Michael Williams, who scored Oak Grove’s lone goal. When they faced Smithville (23-4), the players’ stomachs were “all in knots and everyone was shaking,” Williams said.
“We just mentally weren’t prepared,” he said.
Warriors forward Stefan Hoffman sensed the Panthers “were jittery” when play began. They seemed more nervous after he scored in the second minute.
“When we came out and scored, then you could see it in their eyes,” said Hoffman, who was one of two players with three goals.
When Smithville scores quickly, “it just sets the tone of the game,” Hoffman added.
That was the case against Oak Grove, as the Warriors built on that early goal into 4-0 advantage by halftime. Kyle Nixon finished a crossing pass by Hoffman in the 15th minute. Smithville scored again in the 18th minute on an own goal by Oak Grove that was officially credited to Warriors midfielder Charlie Tietjens. Nixon beat Panthers goalkeeper Josh Keeton on a challenge in the 35th minute.
Nixon scored his third and final goal in the 58th minute to make it 5-0 Smithville. Hoffman scored the next two goals to seal the victory.
The Warriors, who had outscored their opponents 7-0 in their first two district games, saw their hopes of another shutout end in 72nd minute, when Williams finished a skirmish around the Smithville goal mouth that had resulted from a free kick.
“I just lined up and I was going to block the keeper (Thomas Goerke) so he wouldn’t be able to see the ball,” Williams said. “And then, one of our guys tipped it and I just poked it in.”
Although the final score wasn’t “the result we were looking for,” Thomason was pleased with his team’s effort.
“The boys played hard,” he said. “They stayed positive with each other. They didn’t let the outcome break them down, which is a good thing.”
Smithville coach Jon Reed liked what he saw from Oak Grove, too.
“They’ve got a bright future,” Reed said.
CLASS 2 DISTRICT 8 FINAL SUMMARY
At Excelsior Springs High School
SMITHVILLE 7, OAK GROVE 1
Oak Grove Smithville
7 Shots on goal 17
9 Saves 6
1 Corner kicks 5
4 Fouls 6
0 Yellow cards 0
OAK GROVE 0 1 — 1
SMITHVILLE 4 3 — 7
Keepers: Josh Keeton, Oak Grove; Thomas Goerke, Smithville.
Scoring
First half
S — Stefan Hoffman (assist unavailable), 2:00
S — Kyle Nixon (assist Hoffman), 15:00
S — Charlie Tietjens (unassisted), 18:00
S — Nixon (unassisted), 35:00
Second half
S — Nixon (assist unavailable), 58:00
S — Hoffman (assist Nixon), 59:00
S — Hoffman (assist Tietjens), 66:00
OG — Michael Williams (unassisted), 72:00
