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Ali Browne

LET'S GO. Followed by his teammates, captain Cooper Bollinger Danielson lets out celebratory cheers and runs towards the crowd after the end of the game.

The pressure was on BVS in the championship game, and they rose to the occasion.

The Spartans and Redhawks had played each other twice in the weeks before the section finals. Though both games were close and their game on Oct. 8 even went to overtime, the Spartans prevailed 2-0 and 4-2. While the Redhawks were the IMAC conference champions, the Spartans entered the section tournament as the #1 seed.

With two previous wins under their belt, all eyes were on the Spartans to see if they could pull it off in a third and final matchup. After a long huddle and pep talk, the team came onto the field with evident determination, ready to leave it all out there.

The Spartans connected passes well and maintained consistent pressure against their opponents. Still, with the teams being relatively evenly-matched, much of the play stayed in the center of the field. This required key midfielders Tommy Verhey, Yash Kshirsagar, Awaale Osman, and Orion Kim to maintain solid ball control to set up the forwards and generate offensive momentum.

“I think that teamwork and trust in each other were really key for us winning,” Osman said.

The Spartans’ diligence and obvious team chemistry led them to many exciting offensive opportunities. From fast-paced breakaways to capitalizing on corner kicks, the team had significantly more attempts on goal than their opponents. Still, when the Redhawks came in hot offensively, the Spartans knew they could count on goalie Cooper Olson, recently named IMAC Goalie of the Year, to shut them down.

For 76 minutes, the scoreboard sat at 0-0. But with only four minutes remaining in the second half, captain Cooper Bollinger-Danielson was a driving offensive force heading towards the goal, and a charge from Minnehaha’s goalie was all he needed to succeed. With a quick right-footed chip, Bollinger Danielson shot the ball right past the goalie and into the lower right corner of the net, marking his 20th goal of the season. Soon after shooting, he tripped over a player and fell to the ground. Still, the setback didn’t stop him from rushing toward his teammates in celebration before he was briefly subbed out due to the injury.

With a goal under their belts, the Spartans were golden. Despite their excitement, the team knew that four minutes was more than enough time for the Redhawks to potentially respond with a goal, and they kept their focus until the very end. BVS is the first team from the SPA boys soccer program to advance to the state tournament in ten years.

After celebrating an incredible performance against a tough opponent, the Spartans filled in the bleachers to cheer on GVS. When both teams were eventually crowned champions, the excitement was unlike any other. “It’s not every day that you get to see two great teams work their hearts and minds on the field and bring such passion. There’s a saying that we have on the team: ‘pressure is privilege’ and we rose to the occasion,” Bollinger Danielson said.

The details for BVS’s first game in the state tournament are not yet finalized.