Sports
Oakville Captures First District Soccer Title Since 2005
The Tigers score three first half goals and hang on to defeat Vianney 3-2 in the Class 3, District 7 championship game Thursday at Kirkwood.
The scenario could not have been any better for senior midfielder Luke Miller.
The Tigers defeated Vianney 3-2 Thursday night in the Class 3 District 7 championship game at . It was the first district crown for Oakville since 2005.
Oakville made it to the final with a over on Tuesday.
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"I wouldn't have wanted to beat any other team than Vianney for the district championship," Miller said. "They are the team who usually knocks us out."
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Vianney has knocked out the Tigers the last several years and had beaten Oakville 2-1 in the regular season in a game in which Oakville played a man short for much of the second half and overtime.
"This is huge," Miller said. "We can celebrate this for a day or so, but we have other goals in mind. The ultimate goal is a state championship. This is the first step."
And it was a huge step indeed in beating the top-seeded Griffins. Oakville got off to a quick start as Jared Swierk and Mike Munsell scored goals in the first six minutes of the game. Alex Dieckman, who had scored the overtime winner in the semifinals against Mehlville, added a first half goal, and the Tigers led at halftime 3-0.
"We are not usually a fast starting team," Oakville coach Dave Robben said. "Vianney is the team which likes to start fast. Today was a good time for us to have a fast start. We had some nice goals."
Vianney made things very interesting by scoring a pair of second half goals, one on a shot by Mark Segbers with just more than 11 minutes left on a shot, which was mishandled by Tiger keeper Alec McChesney.
McChesney more than made up for his rare miscue with some crucial saves in a wild final few minutes.
"The first game we played against them was crazy," Robben said. "But how crazy was this? Mother Nature took a couple of turns during the game. We were able to capitalize in the first half, although even a score like 3-0 is not safe against a team like Vianney.
"Fortunately, we were able to hold it together, although it was a matter of hanging on at the end. This was a total team effort. The guys showed a lot of heart and character."
Oakville will host the next round of the Class 3 playoffs, taking on the winner of the -Rockwood Summit contest Tuesday night.
