Wednesday night the St. Rita Mustangs Soccer team faced off against Evergreen Park in the opening round of the state playoffs and came out victorious on the back of a Ray Schick goal and a Nick Goldsmith shutout.

The Mustangs controlled the game from the start of the whistle dominating possession the entire match. The Mustangs attacked early getting numerous shots on goal with no luck of scoring. Finally, junior, Ray Schick broke through to give the Mustangs a 1-0 advantage and that is how the game would end. The Mustangs had other scoring opportunities, however, two goals were called back because of offside penalties on St. Rita. This is one of the best games the team has put together all year and it can be contributed to the fact that members are the team are finally getting healthy. “ It helps we are getting healthy at the right time,” Co-Head Coach Tim McCarthy stated. “We got Marty Carlson back after being out 6 weeks with a sprained knee and Ian Koman looks to be cleared from his concussion for Saturday. Having these types of players back makes us a dangerous team.”

In the net for St. Rita was junior, Nick Goldsmith who recorded his second shutout of the season and the 16^th of his career. Before the match Nick was asked whether he likes to play in the rain, he said simply with a smile “Yes!”. The weather played a factor in the game but the coaches felt the team handled it great. “”We played very well tonight,” Co-Head Coach Bob Kellam stated. “It’s tough to play in these conditions with so much on the line. It required a high level of concentration and mental toughness which will be key if we plan on beating St. Laurence.”

That mental toughness and concentration showed up with the Mustangs Saturday night as they tried to capture the Regional Championship. The game would prove to be a trying effort for both teams as they went back and forth for the entire match. Unfortunately in the end the Mustangs would fall 2-1 with the lone goal coming from Marty Carlson. The loss knocked them out of the state playoffs but Co-Head Coach Bob Kellam is not upset how his team played. “This was one of the best efforts we had all year,” Kellam stated. “The team played great, we had some chances that didn’t fall but that is soccer. These guys can be disappointed that they did not win, that is fine, we all are. But they cannot be disappointed in how they played, they played great.”

The team will have to say good bye to a number of seniors, many who have played significant roles in the program. Co-Head Coach Tim McCarthy believes that is sometimes the hardest part of losing the last game. “Sure everyone is upset we didn’t win a championship, but most upsetting is saying good bye to these seniors,” said McCarthy. “This was a special group and they did a lot for this program. They will be missed.”

After an injury filled start to their season, the St. Rita Soccer team is finally getting back to healthy and the results are showing on the field. Last night, the team traveled to Gordon Tech to take on the Rams under the lights. The result would be a 1-0 win for the Mustangs, their first shutout of the season.

The game was filled with hustle and grit as the Mustangs defense stepped up their effort. “Our defense was great all game, we had a game plan and they executed it,” stated co-head coach Bob Kellam. “Nick (Goldsmith) was great in the net all night and gave us a chance to win.”

Goldsmith, a three sport athlete, will be taking the field tonight for the football team as their primary kicker. He also laces up the spikes in the spring for the Mustang Baseball team. Goldsmith, a junior from Dyer, IN, recently was named a finalist for the U.S. Army and Pro Football Hall of Fame Student Athlete award. Student-athletes from all over the country are nominated for the award and Goldsmith has made it into the final ten. The winner will be announced in San Antonio at the High School All-American game.

While the offense took awhile to get started it was a goal by senior, Jack Collins of St. Cajetan parish that gave the Mustangs the lead and would be the eventual game winner. “It is nice to get this win because we have another big game this weekend,” Kellam explained.

The Mustangs will be traveling to Mt. Carmel on Saturday at 11:00am to take on the Caravan.

45 years ago Lyndon B. Johnson was the President of the United States, “Bonnie and Clyde” was the highest grossing movie, and I’m a Believer by the Monkees was at the top of the billboard charts. 1967 was a big year and St. Rita High School was no exception. That was the inaugural season for the St. Rita Soccer team. Times were different back then, the team only played 3 games that year and they all came against the same opponent; Loyola Academy. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the first season ended with 3 losses but the groundwork for success and excellence was laid.

“That team is the original heart and soul of this program,” current head Soccer Coach Tim McCarthy stated. “Without that team we may not have the opportunities we do to play a game we love for a school we love.” The soccer program has soared to levels it has never seen before over the past decade winning multiple championships and having numerous athletes recognized for their great play on the field.

The program invited members from the 1967 team back to Doyle Stadium on Thursday night to get the recognition and honor they deserve. Three members of the team, defender David Fedro, defender Joe Freeman, and the record setting goalie, Werner Koos were all in attendance. While the coach of the 1967 team could not make the ceremony, he is no stranger to Doyle Stadium being the Head Soccer Coach at neighborhood rival Brother Rice High School for the past 30 years. At halftime all three members were brought onto the field to a great ovation and the members of the 2012 St. Rita Soccer team got to shake hands and take pictures with members of the 1967 team. It was truly a great night for the St. Rita community.

   Unfortunately, the team would lose to Kennedy High School 2-0 with both scores coming in the first half. The Mustangs controlled the play and pace of the game in the second half putting 8 shots on net with two almost converting. With the loss the team moves to 1-4 on the young season and will travel to St. Patrick on Saturday with a game scheduled to kickoff at 2:00pm

After starting the season 1-2 and in the process, picking up injuries to all four seniors (Liam Forde, Marty Carlson, Brad Glazier, and Tom Bauer) the small break in the schedule couldn’t have come at a better time. After dropping the first two games of the season, the Mustangs bounced by last Saturday with a win over Richards 2-1. The team has used this week to get their players healthy and prepare for the daunting portion of their schedule. “We took this break to get healthy and to work on some issues we saw in the first few games” said Coach Bob Kellam.

As the week progressed, the coaching staff was able to get everyone back on the field and working as a unit again, something that was encouraging to the staff.  It was great to see everyone healthy and back to training this today” said Coach Tim McCarthy after Thursday’s training session.

The Mustangs return to action on this Tuesday, September 4^th at home vs. Solario Academy at 6:15. Then on Next Thursday the team will host Kennedy HS at 6:15 where the 1967 team will be honored as the soccer program celebrates their 45th Anniversary.