Springfield Catholic Edges Sullivan In Districts

The story of districts was the same story Sullivan had dealt with through the regular season.

Sullivan took No. 1 seed and state-ranked Springfield Catholic to the wire in the first round of the Class 2 District 10 Tournament on November 4.

But the Fightin’ Irish made the most of two first half goals to defeat Sullivan 2-0 and advance to the tournament championship.

Sullivan (8-15-1) controlled the ball and put 12 shots on goal. They were unable to convert those opportunities.

“(Springfield Catholic) were ranked around fourth, fifth and sixth all year,” said Eagles head coach Bill Kackley. “They are a good, sound fundamental team.” 

Kackley said the Eagles had chances to pull even late in the second half. 

“We controlled the ball and their coaches were impressed,” Kackley said. 

Goalkeeper Kaleb White stopped four of six shots. Kackley thought the defense let White down on the first goal.

“We could have had better defense there, but it was a tough deal. We have nothing to hang our heads about,” he said. “For us to possess the ball the way we did this season was pretty impressive. I think we earned respect.”

Kackley said the team came so close in so many games and the record could have been flip flopped.

“We played well most games,” he said. “We had a great group of guys.”

Sullivan will graduate 13 seniors, including Ethan Kackley, who led the team with 16 goals and nine assists. 

Kackley said the team will have to take a look at their schedule next season and possibly scale back the level of competition.

“We played four to five state-ranked teams,” he said. “We might need to find some competition closer to us.”

The Eagles will go into next season trying to be similar to this season — possess the ball and play solid defense.

“There are some kids who need to step up,” Kackley said, adding that he is hoping more players will start to focus on soccer during the offseason. 

“We’re going to talk to kids about being more dedicated to soccer and how they have a chance to be successful,” he said.

After Thanksgiving ends, Kackley said the team will start to focus on offseason activities.