Macks come up short at state

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By The Chippewa Herald
Saturday, November 8, 2008 11:05 PM CST

MILWAUKEE — After the McDonell Central/Regis High School soccer team lost 3-2 to Columbus in the WIAA Division 3 boys soccer championship game, the Macks simply walked off the field.

There was no crying and while there was some sadness, it was soon replaced by pride as the team hoisted the second-place trophy.

“Out of 422 teams, we’re one of the few left,” coach Tim Jenneman said. “It may not be No. 1, but it’s pretty good.”

The team also made McDonell history as the first team to take second place at state, all after a 20-1-2 regular season and a postseason that saw two shutouts followed by three nail-biting games.

That last of these was a 7-6 shootout win over University School in the state semifinal game on Friday after a 1-1 regulation and two scoreless overtimes.

Jenneman said this drained his team for the championship game.

“We walked off the field so tired,” he said. “We really left our heart out on the field in the game before and it just wore us out. It was almost as if that was our championship game.”

His team didn’t show this wear and tear early on as Marc Santolin scored off a Matt Fialkowski assist seven minutes in.

Columbus came back strong with goals at the 13-minute mark and 14-minute mark.

It did not put the Macks in an unfamiliar situation, as they had been down in a 3-2 double-overtime win over Omro and in a 2-1 win over Conserve in sectionals. The team also came from behind against University School.

However, Charlie Calvo and the Columbus offense were too much for the Macks this time.

While Calvo didn’t score any of the goals, he did cause problems for McDonell all day.

“He doesn’t belong with anyone in Division 3,” Jenneman said. “There’s just no answer for him.”

A third goal at the 59-minute mark put a damper on McDonell’s chances, especially since a few players were banged up.

Will Schifeling did give a glimmer of hope near the end of the game, but his Cory Arneson-assisted score came with two minutes to play.

It just wasn’t enough time for the Macks to mount a comeback, Jenneman said.

Still, Jenneman said it shouldn’t cast any shadow on a successful season.

“We held the trophy high and were proud of it,” he said. “This is an experience no one can take away from these kids. We’re in the record books and McDonell/Regis will always be there now.”