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PHOTO BY ROCKY ROSS

ON TO STATE. Bellarmine’s Ryan Rash bounces the ball off his chest in the Lions’ district playoff game against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars May 10. Bellarmine defeated the Jaguars by a score of 2-0 to advance to the state playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Bellarmine on to State

By Ben Miller

Since 1980, making the state playoffs for the Bellarmine boys soccer team has been about as common an occurrence as the Seattle Mariners overpaying for free agents: it happens all the time. This season is no different, as the Lions shutout the Emerald Ridge Jaguars 2-0 in district play to earn their 23rd trip to State in school history.

It is also the fifth consecutive season that Bellarmine will be participating in the state playoffs, which ties the school record for consecutive appearances with three other such streaks.

Early on in the game, the Lions (18-1-0) were dominating the field of play. Holding the ball on their offensive side of the field, the Lions forced Emerald Ridge (10-6-1) to play defense through much of the first half. Bellarmine, however, was having trouble putting the ball in the net.

In the 30th minute of the first half, though, Bellarmine sophomore Dylan Gaydosh put his team on the scoreboard. Tyler Mernaugh threw the ball in from the left side toward the goal, it ricocheted off of defender Elliot Morton and Gaydosh put it between the posts to go up 1-0.

“There were a couple of guys in the way but I was able to find the corner,” Gaydosh said.

That was the only goal either team scored in the first frame.

As the second half opened up, it did not take long before Bellarmine was able to pad its lead and score another one. Again, Gaydosh was ready and willing to knock the ball in for his team.

In just the third minute of the second half, Mernaugh once again threw the ball in from the left side. He hit his pass right to sophomore Scott Hansen, who gave it to Gaydosh and let him work his magic again to put the Lions up 2-0.

“[Gaydosh] is one of those kids who has a nose for the goal,” said Bellarmine coach Joe Waters. “He’s going to make a mark on the Bellarmine soccer program – he has already but he’s going to make a bigger one I think.”

After that, it was time for Bellarmine to do what it has done best since postseason play began: play defense. In four playoff games this season – including three in the Narrows League tournament – the Lions have not given up a single goal on defense.

“The whole team has done a terrific job all season, but the defense has been magnificent in the way they have performed,” Waters said. “I think that most of the goals that they’ve given up are penalties that they’ve gotten against us – I can’t remember the last time somebody scored in open play against us.”

The victory over Emerald Ridge was the eighth consecutive win for the Lions, whose only loss this season came on a trip to Ireland over spring break.

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