Oldham County’s boys soccer team is one win away from its first state final appearance in 44 years.
Goalkeeper Reece Brednich played a nearly flawless game and came up with a big save in the penalty kick shootout to lead the host Colonels, the No. 8 team in the state according to the Maher Rankings, past top-ranked Collegiate 2-1 in a KHSAA state quarterfinal contest Thursday.
The Colonels (16-5-1) prevailed by winning the shootout 4-2. By virtue of the win, they will play next Wednesday in Lexington versus the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal pitting No. 2 Henry Clay against host Highlands, the No. 12 team in the state.
The Titans (23-4-1) pressed in the first half but could not get anything past the junior keeper. Their best chance came with five minutes remaining in the half after a corner kick rattled around in the six-yard box. Several Collegiate players threw their arms up to celebrate what they thought was a goal, but Brednich pounced on the ball after it hit the post and before it could cross the line.
Between halves, Collegiate coach Chad Wozniak jokingly asked Brednich how he made that save.
When he wasn’t stealing goals off the woodwork, Brednich made it a point to come off his line and keep Collegiate’s high-powered offense from getting opportunities in the box. Several times, he beat Cal LeDoux, who scored 31 times this season to the ball, going down, if necessary, to keep Collegiate off the board.
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“We couldn’t give Cal his space because of how talented a player he was, so that was our game plan coming in,” he said.
First-year Colonels coach Paul Maddox called Brednich a gritty player.
“He has no problem with that contact and no problem with just going after the ball,” Maddox said. “Just knowing that it’s his and he’s going after it and get it. That’s the type of player you want. You have that mentality, it’s easy to mold into what you can do for a keeper.”
The Colonels would eventually break through in the opening minute of the second half when Aaron Cook got past the Titans defense on a long ball and found the back of the net.
Cook said seeing Brednich’s play on the other end of the field motivated him.
“Every time I talk to anybody, I call him a stone wall because he always pulls through when you need him to,” he said. “He’s such a good keeper.”
For nearly 78 minutes, Brednich maintained a clean sheet, only to see Hunter Sekelsky’s shot off the top of the crossbar go straight down and in for the late equalizer. However, in penalty kicks, Brednich got his revenge making a key save to give the Colonels a chance to win it.
When Donovan Marcum slammed his shot in the back of the net to secure the victory, it set off a celebration as the Colonels ran onto the pitch.
Earlier: Collegiate boys soccer comes from behind to roll past Bullitt East in state tournament
The loss ends a season for Collegiate where they were considered a favorite for the state title. The Titans survived two double-overtime games in the Seventh Region tournament to win their second regional trophy last week, but they couldn’t find a way to solve Brednich.
“We had a big goal and we came up short,” Wozniak said. “And it wasn’t for lack of effort, we played well. We had our many chances. Yeah, this one hurts.”
The Colonels have led in every game except for one this season, and Maddox likes their chances when they go to Lexington next week.
“I think the boys knew they had the opportunity, all they had to do was finish and pull it together,” he said. “Tonight, we finally put it together at the right time, and that’s great.”
2019-10-25 03:17:00Z
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/preps/kentucky/2019/10/24/kentucky-boys-state-soccer-tournament-oldham-county-beats-collegiate/4077132002/
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