The Bruins walked off the field Oct. 13th, solemn in defeat, after a 0-2 loss to Jefferson City.
With the taste of the setback still prevalent, RBHS was determined to avenge the two-week-old loss and win on their home field when they met the rival Jays again in the district 11 semi-finals Monday night.
After the recent defeat at the hands of the Jays, head coach Scott Wittenborn said RBHS came into this game with more motivation and preparation hoping to get the victory against their longtime rivals.
“We worked on a little bit of positioning and kind of changed up our style from what we normally do,” Wittenborn said. “A lot of times we try to just possess, and tonight we, rightfully so, went a little bit more direct and tried to play the ball to the corners. This worked OK for the first half and then I think we went back to our game of a bit more possession and in the second half, we started to look a bit better, scoring that goal and finishing off strong.”
Aside from a few close shots for both teams, the two rival teams played a close and well-contested first half. The scoreboard on Wayne Sells field would read zero after the first 40 minutes.
Around the 67-minute mark, RBHS finally got the opportunity they had been waiting for and would seize the moment to take a lead on JCHS and gain control of the penultimate game of the tournament.
After a fast break, senior Tarnue Tyler worked the ball through the Jays’ defense, crossing it straight to the feet of midfielder, junior Drew Stanowski.
Taking up the opportunity, Stanowski rocketed the ball straight to the top right corner of the opposing goal, slotting it past the Jays’ goalkeeper. This goal would eventually serve as the go-ahead score, securing RBHS the victory.
“When I saw [the ball] soaring out to me,” Stanowski said. “I knew I just had to get my foot over it and hit that target. It connected really well and went in. “
After the goal, the momentum of the game shifted dramatically to the Bruins. The Jays, however, soon regained dominance after gaining convincing possession.
Corner kicks and controversial foul calls provided Jefferson City with several set-piece chances in the waning moments of the game. But the RBHS defense would buckle down and hold the defensive third, allowing for the Bruins to emege with a 1-0 victory.
The much needed win allowed RBHS to advance to the district final and and a meeting with crosstown foe, Hickman. This encounter with the Kewpies in last night’s district final carried great weight, and motivated the Bruins to success after they earned a loss to HHS, 0-2 on Sep. 15.
“We felt good. We know the result we got earlier in the season, the loss, inspired us in a way,” Stanowski said. “We knew that we had the talent, but I guess we didn’t show up that night. We didn’t bring high intensity that we did have tonight. Overall, we worked hard until the final whistle and got the win.”
Photos by Ashley Tanner[vc_images_carousel images=”277269,277270,277272,277271,277273,277275,277277,277274,277276″]