The stage was set. After the two teams split the regular season series, St. Joes traveled to Granatell Stadium to take on Don Bosco in an ultimate grudge match in the first round of the Non-Public A state tournament.
The Green Knights were coming off a 5 day break after their regular season finale against Westwood was cancelled due to weather. This gave the team extra time to prepare ahead of their massive first round match up against their arch rivals the Don Bosco Ironmen. In the first meeting of the season, SJR fell to Don Bosco 3-1 at home after leading by a goal at halftime. In the second meeting, the Green Knights pulled off a shocking 1-0 upset at the home of the Ironmen. The third match up would settle the score once and for all between the two teams in 2025.
As the rain started to pour in Ramsey, the Green Knights and Ironmen kicked off their first round playoff match up under the lights at Granatell Stadium. It was a fairly even first 10 minutes with both sides feeling each other out and trying to ease into the game. As the first half continued, the Ironmen started to create some chances. The defense of St. Joes stayed firm and kept the hosts from converting chances to goals. In the midfield, the battle was intense to control the possession and tempo of the game. The SJR defense continued to hold strong and after 40 minutes, the game was still knotted at 0-0.
Coming out in the second half, it was clear that one goal could possibly be all that was needed to secure a victory. With both teams having this in mind, the second half was due to be a dog fight between two arch rivals. It was mostly more of the same from the Green Knights in the second half with the defense being called upon multiple times. However, the back line of Quinn Brennan, Max Del Toro, Ryan Coleman, and Noah Moreno were determined to not let anyone through. As the half rolled on, SJR looked to turn the tide with a few chances of their own. Senior captain Daniel Butler created a few shots and opportunities that sailed just wide of the goal. Both sides continued to get a sight on goal, but neither team could break the deadlock after 80 minutes. We were on to overtime at Granatell Stadium.
In overtime the rules are simple: first goal wins. Two 10 minute periods were set to be played after a grueling and physical 2 halves of soccer. Players from both teams looked shaken up but no one was going to quit now. The first overtime period saw chances for each side. However, neither team's defense was willing to break and after playing 10 more minutes, the game remained scoreless. The second overtime period came about and as expected, the two sides continued to scratch and claw for every single 50/50 ball and goal scoring opportunity. The Ironmen saw a few shots go wide and get deflected by the brilliant back line of St. Joes. In the end, 100 minutes was not enough to separate the Green Knights and Ironmen. Penalty kicks were needed to decide who would advance into Round 2 of the playoffs.
The penalties were set to take place right in front of a rowdy Knight Pit that was making their voice heard throughout the night. The entire benches of SJR and Don Bosco looked on as each team sent up their 5 players who would take the penalties. Junior Max Del Toro stepped up first for the Green Knights. He converted his penalty and SJR took the lead first. Bosco responded right back before Vice Captain Jake Fitzsimmons stepped up to take the second penalty. He scored his penalty and gave the advantage back to the road side.
"I hadn't played for those 100 minutes, so I knew the best way to help my team out was to do my job and score my penalty." said Fitzsimmons after the game,
Bosco made no mistake on their second penalty so the score was tied once again heading into the third round of penalties. Freshman Nico Tyjer stepped up and calmly converted his penalty to make it 3-2 SJR. This was when junior goalkeeper Jacob Hook stepped up and made a name for himself. He saved Bosco's third penalty and sent the traveling SJR fans into a frenzy. With the Green Knights on top, freshman Gert Deitmer was up next. He didn't budge and scored his penalty, making it 4-2 Green Knights. Bosco needed to score to keep the game going, but Jacob Hook once again had other plans. He saved the penalty and the Green Knights fans and student section erupted as SJR emerged victorious in one of the craziest games in recent memory. The team sprinted to the Knight Pit in the corner and instantly created one of the most memorable moments in the history of the program.
The Green Knights took the grudge match, beating Don Bosco 1-0 (4-2 on penalties) and advancing into the second round of the Non-Public A state tournament. After the game, senior midfielder Zach Villar expressed his feelings on the historic victory,
"To see the Knight Pit come out and support us for this game and for them to be as loud as they were, they definitely played a huge role in this victory. We knew we didn't want our season to end on a loss to Don Bosco so to get this win means so much to us."
The Green Knights proved that they can not only hang with some of the best teams in the state, but they can beat them too. SJR held Don Bosco scoreless over the last 180 minutes of soccer between the two sides; a true testament to the grittiness of the Green Knights. SJR will now look to keep the magic going as they travel to take on 3-seed Delbarton at 2:00 pm on Thursday, November 6.
