All good things must come to an end, including a soccer season that ended strong and with promise despite a slow start.
On a cold and windy Oct. 21 day at Flint-Kearsley High School, the Oxford Wildcats soccer team’s state tournament run concluded as they lost to Laingsburg-Bath 1-0.
‘Play was sluggish due to the wind and cold conditions but the Wildcats played tight against the Wolfpack,? said Oxford Head Coach John Thaler.
Oxford did get some scoring opportunities in the first 20 minutes but weren’t able to convert. The game’s lone goal came with less than 15 minutes left in the first half as Laingsburg-Bath collected a pass from Oxford, drove down the left side and crossed the ball into the box.
Reminiscent of a pinball machine, the ball pinged around and finally landed at the foot of a Wolfpack player, who popped the ball into the net.
The second half was mostly a defensive battle as both teams started slow and had only a few more opportunities at goal.
Despite the loss, which ended the Wildcats? season at 9-11-3, Thaler was encouraged by what he saw.
‘The boys really turned on their play the second half of the season,? he said. ‘Not a single fan expected the team to go this far, but with the team’s perserverance and dedication it paid off big time. Even though the support wasn’t there from the usual fans of the past, this group of players knew they had to create the drive to win from within. The boys worked hard all season and winning the district championship was justified.?
The soccer team will lose seven seniors (including four starters at midfield, forward and goalkeeper), but Thaler said that they have a ‘great? junior varsity squad to fill in the gaps for next year.
‘I’ll also get my four defenders back as they are juniors,? Thaler explained, adding that every soccer team builds from the back where the defense is.
Thaler also felt that, considering how many players were lost from last season to graduation, the team did a fantastic job this year.
‘I’m more than pleased with the team’s performance this season,? he said. ‘Perseverance was the key factor.?