Oakville Soccer Takes Second in State After 2-0 Loss to De Smet

The Oakville Tigers never gave up.

They were down 2-0 after the first 30 minutes of play against the De Smet Spartans in the Class 3A State Championship soccer game, but played until the last second of the game.

“I can’t say enough again about the way we played in the second half. We made a game out of it the second half,” said Tiger coach Dave Robben.  “It was a typical Oakville game for them. They play with a lot of heart and a lot of courage and at the end of the game with minutes to go, they were still trying to score.”

The Tigers played without two of their normal starters as Michael Munsell was out with a broken nose and Alex Dieckmann had a leg injury from .

“We were sending guys on the field in strange positions, and in the second half, we were still able to put some pressure on them,” Robben said. “That’s what’s been so great about this season and that’s why I’m so proud of these guys.

“I think they’re (De Smet) much deeper in terms of they were able to go into their bench and put payers on, fresher players, and that was part of their strength.”

The Spartans controlled the ball most of the first half, and entered into the second half with a 2-0 lead.

De Smet’s Louis Berra scored in the first five minutes of the game on an unassisted goal that soared into the top left side of the goal.

Then, Scott Ladi scored off a corner kick with an assist from Scott Russo with 16 minutes before halftime.

But a different Oakville team showed up for the second half, playing more aggressively and holding the Spartans scoreless for the rest of the game.

“I’m proud of the guys and the boys should hold their head up high,” Robben said, adding that he thought this group was special, especially after rebounding from their loss at the CYC tournament.

“It’s a good season; they’re disappointed now but in a little bit they’re going to realize how good of a time they had and how great of an experience it was for them,” he said.