BEMIDJI – It’s often that a highly-billed regular-season game comes with more to be desired. Tuesday night’s Section 8-3A boys soccer contest at Bemidji Middle School wasn’t one of those times. The BHS boys soccer team fell 3-2 against St.
Michael-Albertville, the two-time defending section champs in what the Lumberjacks hope, in some respects, was an 8-3A Championship preview. “We went down to their field last year and got wiped by them,” head coach Rick Toward said. “Today, we did pretty well.
We created enough chances to get more. But it was our mistakes that cost us the three goals we gave up. They’re kids, I get that.
They’re going to make mistakes. We created enough chances to get more goals than we did. We just have to clean up the mistakes.
” Both teams traded empty first-half scoring chances until Femi Omotayo paid off a late first-half push by the Knights in the 39th minute. Omotayo made a quick turn to his right after receiving a pass from Alex Hernandez in the middle of the 18-yard box and beat keeper Kellen Heuer to the low-right side of the goal to put STMA ahead 1-0. Bemidji opened the second half with a flare, with Isaac Stone delivering a free kick just outside of the penalty area to Charlie Zellmann.
STMA was caught off guard, expecting Reed Johnson to take the free kick. But Stone took it and found Zellmann. Though, his header missed wide in the 41st minute.
While many of the Lumberjacks started on the pitch last year, Dash Hiller wasn’t one of them. But this year is a new year, and Hiller came up big in the 43rd minute to preserve the one-goal deficit. He held the goal line on a St.
Michael-Albertville corner kick, chesting the ball away from the Knights’ attackers. “He did a terrific job of positioning himself where he needed to be,” Toward said of Hiller. “Obviously, I’m very happy about that, but I’m kind of wondering where my goalie was to put us in that position.
We have some film to go back and look at. Positioning-wise, there were times where we were doing things we weren’t supposed to be doing.” Hiller’s save led to an equalizer on the other end from Lincoln Schmitt, who picked an opportune time for his first goal this season.
Jeron Huseby received a long pass from Brady Riley in the midfield. Huseby shook one defender, then found Schmitt on a cross in the center of the box. On an afternoon of close chances that missed, Schmitt left no doubt.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that we work on that every day in practice,” Toward said. “Every practice, we work the ball wide, then play it in for a one-touch. If the ball is played with enough pace like Jeron did, all Lincoln has to do is turn his foot.
He doesn’t have to swing. There’s enough force behind the ball where all he has to do is redirect it.” Despite finding the tying goal, a stretch of defensive discombobulation was Bemidji’s downfall.
In the 67th minute, Anthony Davis lobbed up a prayer. Davis, an STMA junior midfielder, booted a 30-yard beauty past Heuer, who was stretched off his line after a defensive scramble. Five minutes later, Hernandez put home the eventual winning goal.
He beat Heuer on a low-left shot, finally paying off a ball after a bevy of his missed chances through the first 72 minutes. Bemidji sliced its deficit in half in the 77th minute. Zellmann notched his second goal of the season, finding the ball in the middle of a scrum just feet away from the goal line.
Johnson fed Zellmann, who converted emphatically. However, the Jacks ran out of time in their push to match the Knights’ three goals. In a fixture that featured preventable BHS gaffs that led to STMA goals, Toward ultimately felt encouraged and confident.
“It comes down to the coach doing his job,” Toward continued. “We recognize the mistakes, now we have to put the kids in a position to avoid the mistakes going forward.” Once again.
Knights are poised to have the Section 8-3A Tournament run through them. But Bemidji hopes Tuesday afternoon was the appetizer, with something different on the menu for the entrée and the 8-3A first-place plaque being the dessert. “This game cuts both ways,” Toward said.
“You win this game, you feel confident. These guys will go into a second game against these guys hungry to prove that today wasn’t the result you should see. It’s tough to beat a team twice in a season, and we hope an opportunity to play them again.
” STMA 1 2 – 3 BHS 0 1 – 2 Bemidji – Schmitt ‘50 (Huseby). St. Michael-Albertville – Omotayo ‘39 (Hernandez); Davis ‘67; Hernandez ‘72 (Roher).
Saves – Heuer (BHS) 4; Bot (STMA) 2..
