Lions Roar Past Undefeated SquiresCONVERSE - Averaging six goals per game, the Class 2A No. 8 Manchester Squires had little trouble scoring this season.
Saturday was a different story, however.
Playing the 12th-ranked Leo Lions in a boys soccer regional semifinal at Oak Hill High School, the undefeated Squires struggled to get things going offensively and fell 3-0.
After winning their first sectional title in program history in a PK shootout the week before over Culver Academies, the Squires’ dream season ended in nightmarish fashion.
Manchester (18-1) gave up a goal in the sixth minute of the 80-minute match, which was played on Oak Hill’s pristine turf field rather than a natural grass surface, and never had a legitimate chance to score itself.
“They played their defense back, so you can’t put anything over the defense for Harley (Kruschwitz) to run on, or for our offense to run on … we just didn’t get the passing out of the midfield,” said longtime Manchester coach Dave McKee, whose team outscored its previous 18 opponents 112-14.
Kruschwitz, Manchester’s scoring leader in career goals and goals in a season, was held in check in the final outing of his prep career.
The talented senior scored 51 goals this season, just two fewer than Leo scored as a team prior to Saturday’s regional semifinal, but was stalked and frustrated by the Lions’ defense much of the contest.
“They did mark him up, but just playing their defense back, you couldn’t get anything toward the goal,” said McKee. “They had an outstanding midfield. They passed well. But they’re no better than some of the teams we played.
“They’re a good team, I’m not knocking them, but they came to play and we did not.”
Senior Ibai Marro Ojer gave the Lions a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, and then he assisted junior Parker Bonin’s goal in the 34th minute.
Leo scored its final goal in the 62nd minute when junior Milklas Abraha finished a pass from Marro Ojer.
Seventh-ranked Western beat New Castle 3-0 in Saturday’s second semifinal game.
Leo, now 16-2-1, toppled Western 5-1 in the regional final and will play No. 13 South Bend St. Joe in a one-game semistate, with the survivor advance to the state finals.
While there was a sting attatched to the outcome of Saturday’s meeting with Leo, the Squires have plenty of reason to look back on the season and smile.
Kruschwitz rewrote the program’s record books for scoring goals.
Manchester won its first sectional title in program history.
The Squires won another Three Rivers Conference title, and didn’t surrender a goal to a league opponent along the way.
Saturday’s game ended the highly-successful prep careers of seniors Justin Self, Caleb Stout, Sam Reichenbach, Klayton Hendrix, Hunter Klutz and Kruschwitz, all of whom were starters.
“You know, 16-0 in the regular season, winning a sectional for the first time ever, 100-and-whatever number of goals we scored on the year, Harley breaking the all-time scoring record and the record for goals in a season, Caleb our No. 2 all-time scorer … it was a good group of seniors, all six of them started,” said McKee.
“It was a fun year. We can’t just look at this one game and say that was the year. It’s what ended the year, but these guys accomplished a lot.”
