UPDATE: Webster Groves beats Helias 3-1 in Class 3 soccer semifinal.
Read News Tribune sports writer Tony Hawley's reporting on Twitter. And look for a complete game story later online and in Saturday's News Tribune.
Preview story:
The most important game the Helias boys soccer team has played this season is one the Crusaders never even got to finish.
The Crusaders traveled Oct. 8 to Marshall ond took a 4-1 lead on the Owls before the game was called after just one half due to lightning. But the way the first half went was a sign the Crusaders had found something that now finds them playing in the Class 3 Final Four.
"I just think we've progressively been getting better," said Helias head coach Michael Metzger, whose team opens the Final Four at noon today against Webster Groves at the World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton. "But I think the Marshall game was a pretty big eye-opener for me. (The Owls) had had several good results and we knew they were going to be tough and then we went in there and got up 4-1 on them in the first half. There weren't too many teams that had done that against Marshall. For me, that was a key game for us."
Even so, it took awhile for the players to buy into what the coaches had seen.
"We still lost a handful of games after that, but as far as the belief is concerned, myself and the rest of the staff were constantly on (the players), telling them, "Hey, you guys are a good team and when you want to come out and compete and have fun, that's when we're successful.' Finally they figured that out."
In fact, the Crusaders lost three of four after that game, but since that skid have rebounded to win four postseason games in a row. During the winning streak, the team's confidence has continued to grow.
"In practice, we do some really great things and the always preach to them, even if it's kind of a cliche, you play how you practice," Metzger said. "The players actually saw the things we could do and were like, "OK, why can't we do this in the games?' Well, now we've been doing that.
"It's extremely gratifying for the members of the coaching staff because, yeah, we're here to coach a soccer team and to have our team be as successful as they can be, but beyond that, it's getting these kids confident in their abilities and themselves."
That confidence was on full display in the game that got them to Fenton, as the Crusaders bounced back from a 1-0 deficit early in the game to score three unanswered goals in a 3-1 win against Glendale.
"For them to bounce back they way they did and for the most part to dominate the rest of the game, especially in the second half, was incredible," Metzger said.
Helias (17-10) have a tough draw in their first game at state, as Webster Groves (23-5-2) is the defending state champion.
"They're a phenomenal team," Metzger said. "They possess the ball really well, they're fast, they're big, they have dangerous players. But so do we. At this point in the season, it's not going to be who's the most skilled, the most technical, all that kind of stuff.
"It's going to boil down to who wants it more. Who's going to out-hustle, who's going to win every 50-50 ball, who's going to challenge for everything? Does the technicality and the skill come into it? Sure they do. But in the end, it's who's going to play harder.
"I know that my guys can play hard, I know they're not satisfied with just getting to the Final Four."
Webster Groves has won eight straight games, posting shutouts in seven of them. Sheriden Smith, a senior forward leads the Statesmen with 17 goals, while senior forward Mitch Paulson has 10. Three of Paulson's goals came in Webster Groves' 4-0 win against Farmington in the quarterfinals.
Senior midfielders Mick Hanrahan and Cam Oliver share the team lead with 13 assists each, while Smith has 12.
The Statesmen have 21 shutouts this season, with junior goalkeeper Sam Gomez (0.51 goals-against average) posting eight solo shutouts and combining for five more. Sophomore Will Sprick (0.63 GAA) has five solo shutouts and has combined on four others.
Metzger said there's one big key to today's game.
"We have to stay organized," he said. "We have to match up with their players - we can't let anybody run free because they knock the ball around. They eat up that space."
The teams have a pair of common opponents. Both beat Glendale, with Webster Groves' win coming by a 4-1 margin. And while Webster Groves beat Francis Howell Central 3-1, Helias lost to the Spartans by a 5-0 score in the Rock Bridge Shootout.
In addition to their opponent, the Crusaders will have to cope with the playing surface today. After playing all but a handful of their games on grass this season, they will be playing on turf at the Soccer Park. To that end, Helias spent Monday through Thursday practicing on the turf at Blair Oaks' Falcon Athletic Complex.
"We needed to get used to the touch and the speed of play on the turf and how the ball bounces differently," Metzger said.
The Crusaders stayed in Jefferson City as long as possible, leaving this morning for Fenton.
"We wanted to let the kids sleep in their own beds (Thursday night)," Metzger said. "Plus, when you're in a hotel with a bunch of high-school kids, they're not going to want to sleep."
With just the Class 3 and 4 teams playing this weekend after the Class 1 and 2 tournaments were completed last weekend, the Crusaders and Statesmen will be playing the first game of the day.
"Everybody's nerves are going to be going a little bit, so it probably is going to be a little nicer to get out there and have it be time to go," Metzger said. "Instead of watching the result of the other game, where you've got that stuff in your mind of, "We're going to play them if we win' or "We're going to play them if we lose,' we're the first game, so let's just go out there and get it done."
The other semifinal starts at 2 p.m. and matches St. Dominic (16-10-2) and Grain Valley (20-6). St. Dominic has won five state championships, all since 2004, and one of them came against Helias in 2008, when St. Dominic won 2-1 in the Class 2 title game. Grain Valley is a newcomer to the Final Four, as this year marks the first time the Eagles have won a district championship.
Today's winners will play at 2 p.m. Saturday for the state championship, while the losers will play at 10 a.m. for third place.
Follow News Tribune sports reporter Tony Hawley (@tony_hawley) on Twitter for updates during today's game, starting at noon.