St. X shows that polls are right, sometimes

Top-Ranked Tigers Finish Unbeaten and Dominant

By Jennifer Smith

jsmith3@herald-leader.com

GEORGETOWN -- Polls and prognosticators are rarely right.

Coach Andy Schulten wasn't sure his St. Xavier soccer team could start and stay at the top of those polls all season long.

"I started feeling a lot of pressure this year thinking these guys didn't understand, they didn't know what it takes," Schulten said. "But they won me over."

And the top-ranked Tigers did as expected and won the boys' state soccer title 5-1 over Clark County in front of 2,310 at Toyota Stadium.

St. Xavier finished the season unbeaten and dominant, outscoring opponents 145-13.

The Tigers, who won their eighth state title, became just the third team in the last 30 years to finish undefeated. City rival Trinity did it last in 1998.

Schulten thinks his club should be considered among the best of all time.

"You can't compare eras," Schulten said. "Ten years ago and 25 years ago are different eras in soccer, but these guys are so talented. Talent doesn't always win. They've got the leadership, the experience, the desire and most importantly it's fun for them."

The Tigers took control early, going up 3-0 in the game's first 13 minutes.

Kyle Schickel scored the first four minutes into the game and assisted on the next two for Evan Karst and Kyle Richard.

"We came out and knew we were the best team in the state," Schickel said. "We showed it tonight. We weren't going to let anyone take it away from us. We wanted to go out on top."

Clark County might have been a little starstruck, playing in its first-ever state title game, and the Cardinals could blame weary legs coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over Lexington Catholic in the semifinals Wednesday night.

"There were definitely some nerves there," Cards Coach Greg Dyk said.

"I saw a very, very, very good team in St. X take advantage of our team sitting on their heels and not ready to play.

"When you come out soft, a team like St. X is going to take advantage of it."

But the Cardinals didn't quit, getting on the scoreboard with 16 minutes remaining in the first half on Ryan Blair's shot.

"After the first 15 minutes we actually settled in and did some of the things we talked about," Dyk said.

The teams played nearly even until 15 minutes remained in the game, then St. Xavier's depth and dominance that helped it win 21 straight came through again.

Kevin Bick, whom Schulten called "Mr. Automatic," scored on a running shot. Four minutes later, Ryan Smith added the fifth and final goal.

"We sort of relaxed a little bit and they took us out of the game and made it into a war there for a little while," Schulten said.

Four of the Tigers' five goals were scored by juniors and the team only loses three starters, which had Schulten already prognosticating about next season.

Dyk was still reflecting on this season and the Cardinals' run to the championship, which included just one loss to an in-state opponent until last night.

"It's been a great season," he said. "I'm incredibly proud of what these guys have accomplished."