The sectional semifinal was hard fought, but the Fenwick boys soccer team fell just short of advancing to the sectional final.
The Friars (9-9-2) lost to DePaul Prep 1-0 Tuesday at DePaul Prep Stadium. The Rams’ goal came in the first half with 7:05 to play on a shot by senior Brody Edgar. Fenwick held the Rams to just two shots on goal in the matchup, both coming in the first half.
“We just wanted to play to win the game like we have all season,” said senior midfielder James Zimmer. “It’s good to see that we still play with that desire to win every game.”
“Overall, we had a great game,” said senior midfielder Jake Brecknock. “We came out and did everything we could except for one play that [DePaul Prep] capitalized on. They’re a great team, so you have to expect that if you give them something they’re going to take it. Everyone on our team wanted to be out there and we were fighting and that showed in the play even if it didn’t show in the result.”
“We had a pretty good game plan,” said Friars head coach Craig Blazer. “We had a lot more opportunities than [DePaul Prep] did, but we just weren’t able to convert. We defended well the whole game against a great team.”
One of the keys for Fenwick to keep the game close was something they’ve been doing all season — taking advantage of their experience playing together and communicating effectively.
“Communication, talking it out, and just chemistry.” Zimmer summed up. “A lot of us have been playing together for a long time, and we’ve really gotten to know each other. It’s been fun.”
While Tuesday’s loss was a tough one for Fenwick’s seniors, Zimmer and Brecknock looked back fondly at their careers and how this team always fought for each other.
“There are so many great memories with this team,” Zimmer said. “Away games, home games, it’s been really special, and this is a special group.”
“In all four years and this season, we’ve had plenty of ups and downs,” Brecknock added. “My biggest takeaway is how we come and fight back from tough losses. This group of guys is a group I’m going to miss; we all want to fight for each other as much as we can.”
Blazer noted the team had a season packed with talented teams, and as the seniors move on, the team will look for new leaders to step up.
“We played a tough schedule, and we had these guys prepared,” he said. “We’ve had several games like this where it was a one-goal game — so many teams are so well coached and have good players. We’ll take away a lot from this season, but right now we have some time to think about it. We had an outstanding group of seniors and we’re very proud of them.”
