By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
On Sept. 15, the Greenwood boys’ soccer team had six losses, no wins and no goals scored.
What a difference one month can make.
The Blue Jays continued their late-season resurgence Thursday night by winning their second straight district championship. Greenwood defeated nemesis Laquey 2-0 in the Class 1 District 6 championship game behind goals from Garrett Litherland and John Sharp.
“As coaches, we were pretty upset at the beginning (of the season) and we could’ve gone one or two ways in terms of coaching style,” said Greenwood coach Chris Shul. “We were frustrated and let (the players) know it. Then we backed off.
“We tried to see the bigger picture. I didn’t see – I have to be honest – I didn’t see this. But we’ll take it. It’s all them. I’m very proud of them.”
Adding to Greenwood’s early season woes, five of the six losses were 1-0 outcomes. The Jays struggled to replace the offensive firepower from their 2016 state final four team.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“It was tough at the beginning,” Litherland said. “We just couldn’t score. We weren’t getting blown out or anything, but we had a bunch of close losses.”
The Jays defeated College Heights Christian and Cassville in the Greenwood Classic to end their losing skid. But, they dropped their next five matches – two by PKs and one in double-overtime – to fall to 2-11 overall.
Greenwood has since won six straight games.
“Thank goodness for our defense. They’ve held us strong all year long,” Shull said. “We just kept revamping on offense, trying new things.”
Litherland scored the eventual game-winner in the 17th minute. He pressured the Laquey goalkeeper and his hustle was rewarded with a point-blank tap-in on an empty net.
“I saw the ball going to the goalie and I decided if I rushed the goalie maybe I could pressure him into messing up, which he did,” Litherland said. “I don’t really know what happened, I guess it bounced off him and then it hit my chest perfectly to where it landed right in front of me and I just laid it in.”
Sharp added an insurance goal in the 56th minute. He took a long shot from about 35 yards out that was partially deflected by the Laquey goalkeeper but the ball managed to trickle into the back of the net.
Sharp is playing soccer for the first time.
“A coach is only as great as their players, and they proved it,” Shull said. “This is huge. Going 0-6 (at the beginning) of the season and not scoring a goal? I’ve never been a part of that. This means a lot. This one’s special.”
The victory was extra sweet for Shull and Greenwood’s seniors. Laquey beat Greenwood in the 2014 and 2015 district title games.
“In the beginning, it didn’t seem like we’d be here,” Litherland said. “We weren’t winning. Or scoring. We lost all of our top scorers from last year. I was a little worried at first.”
Laquey’s best scoring chance came with about five minutes remaining when all-stater Tristan Gan hit the crossbar on a free kick.
The Hornets finish 14-10 overall. They were seeking their third district title in four seasons.
Greenwood (8-11) will hit the road for an Oct. 28 Class 1 state quarterfinal game.
The Jays will play at the District 5 winner, either Crocker (17-1) or Stover (12-8-2). Those two teams play for the District 5 championship at 5 p.m. Friday in Stover.
