Final Four Bound! Crestview boys soccer pushes by Kirtland, advances to State Tournament
The dream of a State Championship is alive and well for the Crestview boys soccer team, who knocked-off Kirtland 4-1 on Saturday in the DIV. III Regional Final from Howland High School.
The Rebels are now 20-1-0 this season and will face the winner of Ottoville and Toledo Ottawa Hills on Wednesday for a right to play in the State Championship game from Lower.com Field in Columbus. This is Crestview's first final-four appearance in school history, while they are the first Columbiana County boys team to make it to the Final Four.
Nick Novak had a hat trick for Crestview, and got the scoring started in the first half by flicking the ball into the net perfectly, before senior captain Ryan Emch scored off a header to make the score 2-0 at the break.
Once play resumed in the second half, Novak placed his second goal in the back of the net on a penalty kick to give the Rebels a 3-0 advantage. Novak added another to give Crestview a 4-0 advantage before Kirtland put one on the board before the match ended. Crestview goalkeeper Sam Campbell had 12 saves in the win.
It all adds up to a State Tournament appearance for Crestview, who are now one step closer to the ultimate goal and making history along the way.
"It's awesome, it really is," said co-Head Coach Rob Auer. "We've kept our eye on the long ball to try and get here, just taking it one game at a time but we knew what our capabilities were and we knew we had the athleticism, the smarts and the toughness to get here. Our school has never done this before."
"It means a lot. I know how hard all these boys worked all summer long, in the fall, the obstacles they had to overcome," said co-Head Coach Riley Mackall. "It's finally good to see this all come to fruition in the form of a regional championship." For his full interview, click here.
Junior Nick Novak said this team has been special from the start of the season.
"We had a couple years where we lost in District Finals," Novak said post-game. "We were getting older and we knew this had to be the year or it would never happen and I figured we would have a good chance this year." For Novak's full interview, click here.
Novak, who scored three of Crestview's four goals, didn't hesitate to dish-out the credit to the entire team.
"Our defense played unbelievable this game, that team's (Kirtland) a loaded offense [and] to give up one goal in the last 20 minutes of the game is just crazy. Everybody was just unbelievable this game."
