Boys State Semi-Final – Friday 5/14 vs. Westminster Academy
Tied 2-2 / Won on penalty kicks 3-0
What a great result and great game for our boys! It was a special moment to see their celebration after that game. It was fantastic both for the players and their families that traveled to Macon to support us.
Westminster had previously won 7 straight 3AAA GISA State Championships. We have met them multiple times in the final four. It was very rewarding that it was our group to end that streak.
Our boys played their best soccer at the right time. The way we played as a team competed was outstanding. I had many coaches compliment our boys on their team play and competitive spirit.
Our competitive response was outstanding again. We went down 1-0 in the game and came back to level the score at 1-1 on a great goal by Eli Fritchman. Again, we went down 2-1, and with about seven minutes to play we equalized with a second goal by Eli.
After two hard-fought overtimes, we were heading to penalties. Again, our boys would show outstanding composure and resilience. Bryce Reilly took the first penalty and buried it to set the tone. Westminster missed wide on their first attempt. Jacob O’Connor stepped up for our second penalty and nailed his attempt. Westminster took their next attempt and our GK Grant Offner saved that attempt. Eli Fritchman was next. He too stepped up and finished his chance. Westminster was next, and Grant made the final save as we won on penalties 3-0. The celebration that followed with the players and families was outstanding. This is a special part of high school athletics.
Boys State Final – Saturday 5/15 vs. Holy Spirit Prep (Atlanta)
Lost 0-1
Again, the team's response and performance was outstanding. I could not have been more proud of the way our boys played in this game. We were organized, we played together, and again, we were very, very competitive.
Credit to our opponent, Holy Spirit, was one of the best high school teams I have seen during my time at Frederica. We were against the run of play for most of the game; however, we made it very hard for them to create clear goal-scoring chances, and any attempts they did have our goalkeeper Grant Offner made the save.
Soccer is a game of inches when you have a great game like this one. We had some good looks at the goal ourselves. We tried to capitalize on our free-kicks and corners. Several near misses and a ball off the crossbar were very close.
In the end, we lost 1-0; however, it was one of our best games all season. We set goals at the beginning of our season. During that exercise, I asked the group how they would want people to describe our team when it was all said and done. I can tell you that they accomplished that and much more.
Thank you to all of our players for all of their hard work this season. You represented the school and your families very well.
Thank you to our families. Your support of our boys was terrific.
Thanks to Frederica for the opportunity you have given these players. It means an awful lot to them.
Go Knights!
Coach Tim O'Sullivan
