DIVISION III BOYS SOCCER Surprise! Eagles win district title

Warren JFK beat Badger in a shootout to advance to the regional semifinal.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
KINSMAN -- The unlikeliest of teams will represent the area in the Division III regional boys soccer tournament.
Warren Kennedy, take a bow.
The Eagles, riddled with injury and full of youth, won one game in the regular season, and that was by forfeit.
Enjoying the moment, Kennedy won its fourth straight tournament game Saturday with a 4-3 shootout over Badger for the school's first district title.
Kennedy will play CVCA or Rootstown at 7 p.m. Tuesday at West Branch High.
"When we started conditioning in July, I told the kids that the regular season means nothing. We have to gear ourselves for our first playoff game," Kennedy coach Lou Cali said. "I wish they wouldn't have taken me so literally."
Kennedy's only regular-season win came by forfeit against Badger. It wasn't until the tournament run -- victories over fourth-seeded Columbiana, Newton Falls, second-seeded Maplewood and now Badger -- that the Eagles (5-13-1) could feel they earned it.
"This is just heart-breaking," Badger coach Karl Martin said. "I'm a coach, and I'm coming back next year. Some of these players won't be coming back."
Extra time
It took 100 minutes on a cool, wet day at Kinsman Township Park before Kennedy's victory was complete. But it may have taken longer for the reality of it to set in.
"Everyone seems to be stepping up and I don't know why," Kennedy sophomore goalkeeper Brian Wolnik said. "We were all talking last night how unbelievable it would be if we won this game."
Junior Quinn Macali, who missed the regular season with a broken hip, scored the deciding goal in the shootout.
"We felt we had a little bit of an edge [in the shootout] because of the quickness of our goalkeeper and because we've been working diligently on our penalty kicks at every practice for the last three weeks," Cali said.
Sophomore Kyle Schimley, junior Thomas Gergley and sophomore Jeff Jenkins also scored shootout goals for the Eagles, and Wolnik came up with the save that secured the upset.
"It's so scary when everyone is depending on you to block the shot," said Wolnik, who made 14 saves. Badger senior goalie Josh Dagres had seven.
Taking the lead
Kennedy took the lead on Macali's goal after Badger senior Matt Riley hit the left post on his attempt. Wolnik then dove to his left to stop senior Eric Prior's shot on Badger's final attempt.
Senior Nathan Raught and juniors Kyle Arnold and Andrew Riley scored shootout goals for the Braves.
"A shootout is a lousy way to end a soccer game," said Martin, still praising Kennedy's effort. "Soccer is not an individual sport, and when you decide it that way, it takes away from the game."
The teams played to a 1-1 tie in 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.
Badger's playmakers combined to give their team a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. Arnold took a short pass from Raught in the box and sent it past Wolnik.
Nearly 10 minutes later, the Eagles answered when senior Ryan Marko cleaned up a loose ball in the box. The goal was made possible when freshman Junio Ciuba brought the ball down the left wing.
Neither team struck again until the shootout, where Kennedy made school history.
"I figured we might win a couple of games," Macali said of the tournament, "but we started believing that we could put it together in the playoffs."
richesson@vindy.com