State Boys Soccer Champions in Four Divisions Determined
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Champions in four divisions were crowned at the 2022 State Boys Soccer Tournament in windy conditions Saturday at KOHLER Engines Stadium at Uihlein Soccer Park.
Second-seeded Verona (21-3) ended top-seeded Marquette’s two-year reign as Division 1 champion with a 2-1 win over the Hilltoppers (15-8-2) in the championship game.
Marquette scored first on a Liam Nelson goal with an assist from Felix Huwiler off a corner kick at the 22:30 mark of the first half. Verona evened the score at 1-1 with an unassisted goal at the 44:36 point of the second half. Brian Vazquez scored from the top of the 18-yard box that entered the left side of the goal.
The game-winning goal resulted from a free kick by Connor Gage that found the top left corner of the goal at 57:06 in the second half.
The Wildcats held an 11-5 edge in shots, including a 10-0 advantage in the second half. Vazquez led the team with five shots, and Liam Updegrove was credited with the win in goal, making three saves.
Zach Deslongchamps recorded two which and was the only Hilltopper to have multiple shots in the game. CJ Deslongchamps didn’t record a save for the Hilltoppers.
Verona won its second State championship in their third appearance. Marquette finished runner-up in its 18th State Tournament experience.
Defending champion and second-seeded Oregon (23-2-2) won the Division 2 championship for the second year in a year with an 8-7 advantage in a shootout following a 1-1 tie with top-seeded and last year’s runner-up Whitefish Bay (19-1-5) in the championship game.
The Blue Dukes were the first to score on an unassisted goal by Quinn Muderlak at the 30-minute mark of the first half. He sent a drive from the left wing past the goalkeeper into the right corner of the goal.
The Panthers knotted the score at 1-1 on an unassisted Anthony Elert goal off of a free kick from the semicircle.
Both teams had 10 shots in the game. Noah Malcook led the Panthers with four shots, and Will Smith led the Blue Dukes with three attempts. Jack Kreckman made three saves in the game in goal for the Panthers, and Austin Weinke had four saves for the Blue Dukes.
It took nine rounds of penalty kicks in the shootout to determine the champion. Carter Uhlmann clinched the title with a successful kick in the ninth round.
Verona wins its fifth State championship in its 11th trip to the State Tournament. Whitefish Bay finishes runner-up in its 16th appearance at State.
In Division 3, New Berlin Eisenhower (16-4-3) edged Notre Dame (19-1-4) 1-0 to claim the championship.
The only score of the game came early in the first period. Jack Bretzmann scored after he controlled a long free kick from Luke Bokerman at the 15:21 mark of the first half.
The Tritons held a 10-7 edge in shots attempted, but Lions’ goalkeeper Daniel Woo made saves on the four that were on goal. Arturo Ottum-Cortez made two saves for the Tritons before being relieved in goal by Landon Lozier at the 74:24 mark.
Emmett Lawton attempted a game-high five shots, including three on goal, to lead the Tritons, and Bretzmann led the Lions with four shots.
The Lions won their first State championship in their third tournament appearance. Notre Dame finished runner-up in its 11th time qualifying for State.
Top-seeded Cristo Rey Jesuit (23-1-1) blanked former defending champion and second-seeded Sheboygan Christian/Lutheran (21-2-1) 2-0 in the Division 4 championship final.
The Trailblazers scored their first goal on a penalty kick by Jonathan Monreal at the 29:05 point of the first half. They added an insurance goal just 38 seconds later when Nathan Monreal converted a kick from outside the 18-foot box to the right side of the goal.
Cristo Rey Jesuit held a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 3-0 edge in shots on goal. Nathan Monreal led the Trailblazers with three shots, including two on goal, and Caleb Hendrikse attempted three shots for the Eagles.
Brayan Valdivieso posted the victory in goal for the Trailblazers without needing to make a save. Tony Schmidt made one save for the Eagles before Matt Jaeger came in relief with 27:17 remaining in the game.
The Trailblazers won their first championship in their first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Eagles finished runner-up in their third appearance as a co-op.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
