MATT FOLDESY'S EARLY GOAL ASSAULT, PIVOTAL NET-FINDERS BY GREG KURTZ (MINUS A CONTACT LENS) AND RYAN IVANCIC, AND SOME CLUTCH SAVES BY BRENDAN CASH SEND THE NATION'S TOP-RANKED WILDCATS INTO THEIR THIRD CONSECUTIVE STATE-CHAMPIONSHIP GAME APPEARANCE.

SAINT IGNATIUS WILL FACE CENTERVILLE IN FRIDAY'S 7 P.M. TITLE GAME AT COLUMBUS' CREW STADIUM.

POSTED ON 11/10/10 AT 12:23 A.M.

By Eddie Dwyer
Copyright, November 2010

Saint Ignatius' talented senior midfielder/co-captain Ryan Ivancic, talking with the same intensity he brings to the field, said he and his teammates got what they expected on Tuesday night.

“We knew we were going to have a hard-fought game, I mean St. John's, our Jesuit brothers,” Ivancic said after he helped the Wildcats to a 5-2 victory over the Jesuit school from Toledo in a Division I state-semifinal game at Rocky River High School.

Saint Ignatius (22-0), the top-ranked soccer team in both the state and national polls, will be making its third consecutive state-championship game appearance when it faces the nation's eighth-ranked Centerville Elks (20-0-2) on Friday in Columbus' Crew Stadium. Game time will be 7 p.m.

The Wildcats, under the direction of veteran coach Mike McLaughlin '85, won state titles in 2004, '05 and '08, were state runners-up in '09 and in '05 they also captured a national championship.

It is, however, the memory of last year's heart-breaking 2-1 shootout loss to Gahanna Lincoln in the championship game that has fueled the 2010 'Cats.

“We have a lot of experience going back there (to Crew Stadium),” Ivancic said. “This has been our goal the whole season, a national championship. We're one step away, but we have a big game ahead of us down in Columbus.”

In what Ivancic described as the most hectic first half the 'Cats have experienced all season, Saint Ignatius survived two early scoring threats by the Titans from St. John's.

Then it was time for more Matt Foldesy, as the crazy-fast and skilled junior forward did an encore from Saturday's 4-0 regional-final victory over Massillon Jackson by scoring the game's first two goals.

Taking a pass from junior defender Max Pathroff, Foldesy seemed to play the ball off his chest en route to beating Titans senior goalie Connor Walsh off a breakaway with the game not five minutes old. Less than two minutes later, the Wildcats' leading scorer struck again with his 21st goal of the season, an effort that saw Ivancic and sophomore defender Nate Fahey each have a foot in the assist.

Just when it appeared Saint Ignatius was about to take command early, St. John's (21-2) showed why it entered Tuesday night's match up with a 20-match win streak, a third place ranking in the state poll and a 20th-place national ranking in the latest ESPN Rise Fab 50.

The Titans, who the soccer-savvy fans among the crowd of more than 3,000 at Rocky River will remember, cut the deficit to 2-1 on a header by junior Evan Lee. It was Lee's 19th goal of the season. The score stayed that way entering the final 40 minutes.

"That third goal was big,” said Ivancic of the first of two pivotal second-half goals by the Wildcats – a trademark fireball by senior defender Greg Kurtz off a throw-in with less than four minutes gone in the second 40 minutes.

“It's amazing, the first eight minutes of the game my left contact comes out,” Kurtz said.” I scored that goal with one contact. I couldn't really see it that well.”

With Walsh and Wildcats junior goal keeper Brendan Cash making some highlight-reel saves, the Titans lost Walsh with 24:26 left to be played and down two goals. Walsh was hit with a Red Card after he came out from goal and dragged Foldesy down as Foldesy was in position for another score.

Foldesy had to be helped from the field and didn't return to action. However, Coach McLaughlin assured everyone that Matt is fine and will be ready to go on Friday night. Foldesy echoed his coach's words.

The Wildcats, who handed the Titans both of their losses this season, pulled away on Ivancic's 11th goal of the fall – a text-book display of footwork from the top of the box with 23:50 remaining – and laid down the hammer when junior forward Preston Spurrier scored at the 10:23 mark.

“In these games, so much of it is emotion,” Coach McLaughlin said. “If you can be the first team to put the ball in the back of the net, it does a lot. To St. John's credit, for us to go up 2-0 as early as we did, they could have said all right the game is over.

"But they kept working and quickly responded. That was a very quick response. Now the game is on again and with the guys they had up top (26-goal scorers Ryan Peterson and Michigan State recruit Adam Montague), anything could have happened.''