By Mr. Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit October 2016
Cleveland, Ohio - With a smile as bright as his soccer future, Saint Ignatius' freshman midfielder Matthew McLaughlin said his game-winning goal on Thursday night didn't feel good coming off his foot.
His dad, Wildcats nationally acclaimed Head Coach Mike McLaughlin '85, said it doesn't matter how it feels, it's the end result that counts.
Saint Ignatius, battling a fired-up Twinsburg Tigers team down to the final minute, prevailed, 2-1, on Matthew McLaughlin's best-foot-forward fourth goal of the season with 33 minutes and 33 seconds remaining in the second half. Matthew's shot came from beyond the 20-yard line on Wasmer Field and rocketed into the Lorain Avenue goal.
Wildcats standout senior goalkeeper Lodge Dils, Saint Ignatius' Athlete of the Week for his tremendous efforts in three victories last week, and the rest of the 'Cats' defense took it from there, as Coach McLaughlin's two-time defending and record seven-time OHSAA State Champions improved to 13-0-2 and extended their unbeaten streak to 51 consecutive matches. That streak dates back to the 2014 State Championship season.
The Wildcats entered Thursday's matchup as the top-ranked team in Ohio and the No. 1 program nationally by USA Today.
"Coach Popelka has been telling me to shoot more and I haven't really hit many chances, but tonight I got a few and put one in," said Matthew McLaughlin in reference to Saint Ignatius' outstanding Assistant Coach Joe Popelka '84
"They're a team that fights," Matthew continued in describing the now 9-5-1 Twinsburg Tigers. "They defend and put 10 guys behind the ball, it's effective.
"I didn't," Matthew said, when asked if he felt his authoritative blast under an impressive October moon in Ohio City was headed for the back of the net. Only astute observers like yours truly and Wildcats savvy Assistant Coach Dan Crew '99 appreciated the Moon over Wasmer Field.
The early highlight of the Wildcats' annual Senior Night was the return of All-American senior forward Steve Milhoan, who sat out the previous three matches with an injury.
Steve showed the enthusiastic crowd in Wasmer Field that he is primed for the postseason, when he sent home a one-timer that almost put a hole in the back of the net at the goal that sits proudly in the scoreboard end zone.
Steve's sizzler, which occurred with just over 25 minutes left in the first half, came off an assist from senior forward Alex Gotsky and staked the 'Cats to a 1-0 lead. It was Steve's 12th goal of the season and the 61st of his brilliant career.
"It's unbelievable," said Steve of returning to the pitch with his beloved teammates and friends. "It was a good way to bounce back. I felt like I was caged up for two weeks.
"The cage was open, and I just let loose," Steve said of his early goal. "It felt great, I was loving it."
Twinsburg, which just missed on a scoring opportunity in the early going, knotted the score on an aggressive and hustling goal by Sean Silas that came two minutes after Milhoan's score.
With the Tigers' skilled and heady goalkeeper Carter Yee also turning in a solid night that included a leaping 1-handed bat away of a shot that was about to make itself comfortable in the Lorain Avenue goal, it stayed a 1-1 encounter until Matthew McLaughlin took Coach Popelka's advice.
Three factors in the outcome that caught this old-timer's eyes were the solid job defensively Saint Ignatius' ever-present senior defense Patrick Strauss did against the quickness of Silas in the second half, the many times overlooked field generalship and savvy contributions provided by senior midfield Johne Vrablic, and the endless defensive hustle of sophomore Thomas Marusic.
The final numbers showed the Wildcats outshooting the Tigers, 25-3.
LIKE SON, LIKE FATHER: Coach McLaughlin praised Twinsburg after the match, saying that even a professional team would have trouble mounting an offense against a defense that employs 10 players back.
COACH JIM BRENNAN '85 AND HIS JUNIOR VARSITY WILDCATS CONTINUED THEIR WINNING WAYS WITH A 4-0 VICTORY OVER THE JV PROGRAM FROM TWNSBURG.
In what was a brisk, but perfect Autumn night, Coach Brennan watched his now 12-0-1 JV Cats grab the momentum on two smooth and strong first-half goals by soccer gifted sophomore forward Henry Curtis. Henry came up with a nice individual effort on his first goal by beating the goal keeper, who came out to challenge him.
Sophomore forward Luke Griffiths powered home Saint Ignatius' third goal off a nice crossing pass from Curtis, and with just over a minute remaining to be played, freshman defense Nolan Bartolone came up with his third goal of the season, a shot that greeted the right corner of the Lorain Avenue goal.
UP NEXT: The Varsity and Junior Varsity Wildcats will wrap up their regular seasons on Saturday, when they make the short trip to Lou Groza Field to face the soccer programs from Berea-Midpark. The JV match is slated for 10 AM, followed by the Varsity encounter with the Titans at high noon.
Top-seeded Saint Ignatius will begin its quest for a record third consecutive OHSAA Boys State Soccer Championship on October 22nd at Wasmer Field in a sectional final versus the winner of the Lincoln-West vs. Bedford semifinal. Wildcats outstanding Head Junior Varsity Hockey Coach and Varsity Baseball Team Chaplin Drew Vilinsky '97 says Lincoln-West is the prohibitive favorite over Bedford. Coach Crew concurs.