Marysville's moving on: Vikings defeat Lake Shore in district semifinal

The Marysville boys soccer team hadn’t won a postseason match since 2017, let alone two for the chance to play in a district championship. But this year is proving different.

The Vikings defeated St. Clair on Oct. 12 in the first round of the Division 2, District 26 tournament, and in last night’s semifinal, they handed Lake Shore a 4-1 loss to advance to the championship.

What’s even better, each of those opponents ended the Vikings’ last two seasons in overtime, the Saints 2-1 in 2020 and the Shorians 3-2 in 2021.

The key to victory: striking first, and that’s exactly what Marysville did when junior Tyler Dimmick found the net on an assist from senior Tyler Ross with 15 minutes remaining in the first period.

Marysville senior Wyatt Oles chasing down the ball against Northern in a match earlier this season.

“The first goal in any game is key, it’s our number one goal,” head coach Scott Parker said. “We talked about that today, getting that goal in these conditions was huge.”

With steady rain and temperatures below 40 degrees, the conditions certainly weren’t favorable for soccer, especially on slippery turf.

“It was tough. There was a lot of slipping and you could feel the ball was sliding off you and moving how you wouldn’t expect it,” senior George Telegadas said. “But we ended up pulling through and putting everything together.”

"It’s really difficult [to play in the rain]. The ball’s constantly sliding off your gloves and bouncing weird," senior goalkeeper Anthony Koza said. "You’ve just got to react really well and try to the best you can."

Koza managed five saves on the night, holding the Shorians to one goal just before halftime.

Midway through the second period, however, Telegadas regained his team’s lead as he chased the ball downfield for a solo shot.

But even with a 2-1 lead, victory wasn’t guaranteed. Lake Shore had tied the game on a quick score earlier and the Vikings knew it could happen again. The two teams had tied 2-2 in their first meeting this season, but at this point in the year, a tie wouldn’t be an option.

Fortunately, it wasn’t even a question after junior Kyle Beecherl extended Marysville's lead 3-1 with 10 minutes left in regulation, and Telegadas added one more for security just a few minutes later.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities this season, and it felt good to actually score one when it really matters and shift the momentum,” Beecherl said. “But it’s not just me. When one person scores, the team scores.”

As the final buzzer sounded, the Vikings rushed to huddle at midfield, chanting "Districts! Districts! Districts!" in celebration, and rightfully so. The Vikings (13-3-4) will now play Warren De La Salle (6-12-2) on the Pilots’ home field Wednesday at 4:30 p.m for the district title.

“They’re a private Catholic school. They're good at every sport. We’re going to go out there and give it our best,” Parker said. “I think we have the horses that we might be able to pull the upset off. We’re going to give it a whirl.”

--

For in-game updates and other news, follow Calli on Twitter @ newberry_calli

To receive notifications about new stories from The Sports Report, subscribe for free.