"Nunsensations!" (Westwego)
March 2, 2010
Woman found dead, TPSO awaiting cause
March 4, 2010
The final seconds had ticked off the clock and Vandebilt senior T.J. Freeman sat on the soggy grass at Buddy Marcello Stadium with tears in his eyes, wondering what could have been.
Freeman and the Terriers fought for more than 80 minutes in a highly competitive, back-and-forth Division II state championship match with St. Louis.
But on this day, the ball bounced the Saints way and the scoreboard indicated the same as Vandebilt fell short of its state championship aspirations, dropping a 2-1 match to St. Louis.
“We just didn’t come out here and play our game,” Freeman said. “We played hard and we fought hard and give credit to them, because they’re a great team. But things just didn’t go our way today.”
Following the game, the Saints received the state championship trophy in front of a roaring sea of orange, as hundreds of the school’s fans made the nearly 200-mile trek from Lake Charles to Houma.
On the other sideline, the mood was not nearly as joyous as several of the Terriers shed tears of sadness as the team had fallen short of the goal it had set at the beginning of the season.
But with his players feeling the agony of defeat, Vandebilt coach Matt Kelso felt something else – pride.
“This team won 21 very hard-fought games,” Kelso said. “I’m so proud of my boys … I’m having a son in June. And I told those guys that I hope my son grows up to be just like them, because those are some fine young men and I am so proud to be their coach.”
The Terriers and the Saints went back and forth throughout the entire game and traded scoring opportunities.
But where the Saints would find the net, the Terriers couldn’t seem to catch a break as a pair of Vandebilt shots found the crossbar.
“Six inches in any direction and it’s a totally different game,” Kelso said.
The Saints put the first two goals on the board on Saturday – the second coming with just nine minutes left in the match.
But the Terriers stuck with their season-long moniker, “Finish Strong,” and pumped in a late penalty kick by Freeman to bring the game within a goal.
The team also had opportunities to tie the match in stoppage time, but the Saints thwarted the rallies to seal the win.
“We thought we were building some momentum there at the end, but we just ran out of time,” Freeman said.
Kelso said the lack of quit in his team showed that they are champions — even if they didn’t win the state title.
“We might have fallen short, but I’m still so proud of my boys,” the coach said. “It’s disappointing for our players and they’ve going to hurt for a little while, but this one is going to make them stronger, because we have tremendous young men.”
Vandebilt girls denied third-straight state title:
In Lake Charles, the third time was not the charm for the Lady Terriers as they suffered the same fate as the Vandebilt boys and lost a 2-0 match to St. Louis.
The Lady Terriers and Lady Saints had both won back-to-back state titles coming into the match, but it was St. Louis who made history in a highly competitive match.
St. Louis had won back-to-back titles in Division III before moving to Division II this season. No team prior to the match had ever won three-straight state titles in Louisiana prep soccer.
The match was played on Saturday after inclement weather postponed the original Friday start time.
The Lady Saints struck first with a goal in the opening half by Ali Gallier. The teams went back-and-forth the remainder of the match, but Vandebilt was never able to get the equalizer. St. Louis put the match away in the closing minutes with a penalty kick goal to go up 2-0.
The loss ended the Lady Terriers’ season with a 20-7-2 record.
Vandebilt coach Phil Amedee told the American Press following the match that like Kelso, he is proud of his team, regardless of the outcome on Saturday.
“Our girls played well, like warriors,” Amedee said. “At times we got the better of the play … Losing this game hurts, but I am still quite proud of these young ladies and our accomplishments this season.”
Vandebilt Catholic soccer coach Matt Kelso, accepts the LHSAA state runner-up trophy with his team following their loss to St. Louis. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR
