Eagles will play Father Tolton Thursday for Championship

The SoBoCo Eagles might have been limping a bit going into this week’s Class 2 District 9 tournament in Fulton.

But the Eagles rolled through an easy 3-0 win over the Fulton Hornets in Tuesday’s semi-final game.

SoBoCo, 16-6-2, will face Father Tolton in Thursday’s championship at 5 p.m. in Fulton. The Eagles will be seeking revenge for a 1-0 loss earlier this month when the Eagles had one goal taken away and another “non-call” by the official which cost SoBoCo the opportunity at a penalty kick.

Eagles soccer seniors include, front row from left: Alex Kirmse, Nolan Groseclose, Hugh Keene, Ian McCluskey, Jamison Randle; Back row: Marcus Weaver, Maguire Scheer, Ryan Millar, Liam Clarke, Sam Salmons, Parker Tergin.

Coach Chris Miller said Monday the Eagles were “dinged up,” suffering a number of minor injuries and illnesses common at the end of a bruising season. That got worse when reserve senior Liam Clarke suffered a season-ending injury in warmups. Clarke didn’t play a major amount of minutes, however, his booming shot was always a threat for the Eagles from any spot on the field.

But the Eagles paid no attention to the potential omen, dispatching the Hornets with efficient offense and a dominating defense. Sam Bonderer, Ian McCluskey and Rece Gilmore got the goals for the Eagles and Hugh Keene got the shutout in goal.
SoBoCo will be seeking another district crown and a potential bid for a return to the Final Four, where the Eagles played last year and two other times.

Father Tolton will be looking for their first Class 2 district soccer title and is 9-9 on the season.