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CHAMPIONS! Soccer Cats Are State, National Champs After 2-1 Win over St. Charles

By Joe Ginley , 11/14/16, 2:00AM EST

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Legacy. 

It’s a word the Saint Ignatius soccer team has focused on all season. The Wildcats entered the season as back-to-back OHSAA Division I State Champions. That might have been enough for some teams.

Not head coach Mike McLaughlin’s Soccer Cats.

The Wildcats toiled all season, fighting through a grueling schedule, injuries, and the temptation to be satisfied.

Hundreds of excited Saint Ignatius faithful witnessed the end of that lengthy season on Sunday evening at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus. In incredible fashion, the 21-0-2 Wildcats defeated the 21-1-1 Columbus St. Charles Cardinals, 2-1.

Those privileged to be in attendance also saw something much more special – the setting of a legacy.

The senior-laden Wildcats became the first team in OHSAA history to win three consecutive state soccer championships, and cemented their special place in the storied history of Saint Ignatius athletics.

“To do this once is incredibly difficult,” McLaughlin said. “To do this three times in a row is amazing. To have that discipline and focus for three years just says a lot about these seniors. They’re wonderful kids, they’re great soccer players. The impact that they have left on this program is tremendous.”

In a night about legacy, how fitting that a senior scored the winning goal.

As Jack Frost began to nip at fingers and toes in the second half, apprehension bit both fan bases late in the second half. Saint Ignatius and St. Charles remained tied at 1-1 after a Cardinals goal midway through the second. Overtime seemed to be a certainty with the clock slowly ticking its way to zero.

Then, senior Alex Gotsky found the ball on his foot.

“We won a 50/50 and someone played a long ball to Steve,” Gotsky said. “The whole game, he’d been working on playing the ball off into the middle just to me, and he laid it into the perfect spot, which gave me the perfect opportunity to shoot the ball.”

And what a shot it was.

From easily 30 yards away on the right side, Gotsky rocketed an arcing shot that touched the back of the twine in a beautiful way.  

“I knew right away. It was the shot of my life. I could feel the perfect contact,” Gotsky said.

The goal gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead, setting off an eruption from the Saint Ignatius sidelines and fans with 6:20 remaining in the contest.

However, the celebrations did not erase the final 6:20. The Cardinals scratched and clawed until the very end, finding ways into the Saint Ignatius zone repeatedly. But each time, the Wildcats found a way to clear the ball. Gotsky, Patrick Strauss, Kevin Callanan and others knocked the ball out of harm’s way.

The Cardinals fought hard all game, led by senior midfielder Kristo Strickler and senior forward Ryan Huelsman. St. Charles’ first year head coach Chris Vonau and his players have a lot to be proud of, and the program has a bright future ahead.

As the final seconds ticked away on the clock after impressive defensive play after impressive play, the Wildcats rushed together in a team embrace.

 “I’m speechless right now. I can’t believe it’s over,” Milhoan said of the season, after enjoying a long handshake line, a trophy presentation, and a laughter-filled team picture session.

For Milhoan, one of the best soccer players to ever walk the halls of Wildcat High, not only his season, but his career at Saint Ignatius, is at an end.

Milhoan certainly placed an exclamation point on his career in the finale, scoring the Wildcats’ first goal late in the first half.

As he often does, Milhoan snuck into the center of the box, though trailed by opponents. With 1:20 left in the half, fellow senior Thomas Hogan lofted a pass to Milhoan, who artfully headed the ball over the head of the St. Charles goalkeeper for the first score of the game.

 The tally gives Milhoan a school-record 80 goals over an incredible four-year career.

“Steven was incredible as a freshman, and to maintain that and to keep his discipline and focus for four years, he’s one of the finest ever to play at Saint Ignatius,” McLaughlin said after the game. 

Milhoan’s 13 fellow seniors are also some of the finest to wear the blue and gold. Lodge Dils, Max Heath, Johne Vrablic, Adam Haas, Bobby Tsirambidis, Riley Houde, Tommy Patacca, Brandon George, Adam Collins, Hogan, Callanan, Gotsky, and Strauss built a powerhouse program in Ohio City.

Guided by these men, two new banners will be installed outside of Sullivan Gym, forever commemorating hard-earned state and national championships. These Wildcats end their careers with a 59-game unbeaten streak, and as champions.

That’s not a bad legacy.