Rockhurst tops Christian Brothers College to repeat as Missouri Class 4 soccer champs

By Nate Latsch

FENTON – A lot for the Rockhurst soccer staff’s rebuilding 12 months.

The Hawklets defeated Christian Brothers School 1-0 within the Missouri Class 4 championship recreation on Saturday night time at World Large Expertise Soccer Park on a penalty kick from Bakary Kante with 9 minutes 12 seconds to win their second straight state title.

“It’s big as a result of everyone was speaking about how this can be a rebuild 12 months, we misplaced 16 seniors and no one actually believed us,” Kante mentioned. “It comes from the center. It means loads. That is big.”

Rockhurst (21-2-2) has now received 9 state championships, together with three previously six seasons and 4 in 9 years.

The Hawklets ended the season with a nine-game win streak that included a 1-0 win over Kickapoo within the quarterfinals and Saturday night time’s 1-0 victory over the Cadets and legendary coach Terry Michler.

“We didn’t play our greatest as we speak,” Rockhurst coach Matt Darby. “CBC’s an excellent staff. Hats off to Terry, that’s an awesome squad he’s obtained. And so they got here collectively because the 12 months went on. They obtained higher and higher, and that’s how Terry’s groups are. They get to the purpose the place they’re within the playoffs and they’re able to play. So hats off to them.

“However when it counted we stepped up. I’m grateful for our protection, shutting out CBC as we speak after which final week shutting out Kickapoo – two nice groups. So our protection that hasn’t been the protection that we have been final 12 months stepped up within the greatest video games.”

CBC (17-10), which had a seven-game win streak snapped with the title-game loss, was searching for its eleventh state soccer championship in class historical past and tenth below Michler.

“My God, for a constructing 12 months for Rockhurst, that they had 10 freshmen and sophomores on that staff,” Michler mentioned. “These guys have been good. Very gifted. Nicely coached. I believed it was a superb closing.”

Michler thought his Cadets might have performed higher in Saturday’s closing than they did of their 1-0 semifinal win over St. Dominic.

“I believed we performed nicely as a staff,” he mentioned. “We’d have performed a greater recreation tonight than we did final night time. That’s soccer. You play a not-so–good recreation and win it and also you play a greater recreation and lose it. That’s soccer.”