It was the fairytale ending to a season and to careers that all came in search of the ultimate prize: a state championship. For a group of seniors who had come so close but yet so far, losing in the state title game the past two seasons, it was vindication, finally.

It seemed predestined at the beginning of the season that Prep and Westside were on a collision course with a state title hanging in the balance. However, the road to a state title did not come without bumps, bruises and Band Aids. After starting the season with a win, Prep fell in penalties to Burke, 3-1, but the response to this setback was tremendous, according to co-head coach Jim Swanson.

“To recover from that and still play so hard, to not give up a goal in districts or at state is amazing,” Swanson said.

Following the loss, Prep won their next six games by a combined score of 40-3, winning the St. Ignatius Cup without conceding a goal, and defeating one of the top teams in Iowa, West Des Moines Valley. On a chilly April night, Prep met Westside for the first time on the season, as they fought for a metro title. Junior Noutoua and Sean Toohey scored as Prep defeated the Warriors 2-0, carrying this momentum into the latter stages of a twelve-game winning streak.

After narrow wins against Grand Island and Millard North, Prep faced Westside once more, in the Kicks for a Cure game. With Senior captain Sean Toohey nursing a hamstring injury, Prep lost 1-0, and followed up with another loss in the next match, this time to Millard West.

Prep once again bounced back well, winning their district and advancing to the state tournament. In the first round, Prep faced a familiar foe — Omaha South. Although it was not the same team that had beaten Prep in the state title game a year ago, they still offered a tough match. A tense first half gave way to Junior Noutoua and Andre Coates scoring as Prep won 2-0. In the state semifinals, Prep dominated Kearney, as the Bearcats didn’t have a single shot on target. However, Prep could not finish any of their chances and the game went to penalties, where senior goalkeeper and UNO commit Matt Smith came up huge. Smith scored a penalty and saved three, as Prep won the shootout 3-1 to advance to the state title game.

“Absolutely unbelieveable. For him to come up in a game where he never had to make a save is impressive. It was one of the best goalkeeping performances I’ve ever seen,” Swanson said.

It was the rubber match for the season, but for the Prep seniors, it was the defining game of their careers. To lose would be a heartbreak of massive proportions, having reached the title game three seasons in a row only to fall short. It was the game, the chance and the opportunity to define a career.

Just as they did against Kearney, the Junior Jays created more chances than the top-ranked Warriors, finishing with 16 shots and 11 corner kicks, as compared to the seven shots and seven corner kicks of Westside. Once again, none of the many chances were converted during regulation. After eighty minutes, the teams were knotted at zero apiece, and the Junior Jays needed a hero, and it came in the form of Tommy Braun.

As the first half of extra time drew near its conclusion, the ball fell to Tommy Braun in the box, who tucked it past the Westside goalkeeper and set off a raucous celebration from the Prep contingent. Prep defended an onslaught of Westside attacks in the final ten minutes, but kept their composure, and when it was all said and done, were crowned state champions.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to end my high school soccer career any other way than a victory over Westside,” captain Noah Floersch said.