We are part of The Trust Project.
MOORHEAD -- Hugs from mere feet away were miles apart in meaning.
As Bemidji High School boys soccer teammates embraced on Tuesday night, so did Moorhead all around them.
The Spuds were enthusiastically celebrating a semifinal win in the Section 8-3A Tournament. And the Lumberjacks? Well, they were stuck consoling each other in the wake of a season-ending 1-0 loss in Moorhead.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” longtime BHS head coach Rick Toward said. “This is my 28th year of saying goodbye to a group of seniors who see their season end by losing the last game of their careers.”
Revar Qaqos scored for the top-seeded Spuds (14-3-1) on a brilliant header in the third minute, capitalizing on a corner kick for what ultimately proved to be the game-winner. Already entering as the underdog, fifth-seeded Bemidji had to play from behind all night.
ADVERTISEMENT
“When you come in as the underdog, you don’t have the expectations and pressure,” Toward said. “They took the pressure off themselves very early by getting that first goal. They got to play with the lead for the rest of the game, so we wound up chasing.”
The Jacks did have their chances. Jonathan Devescovi had the closest opportunity, finding the ball at his feet from the edge of the 6-yard box but getting his shot blocked by a sliding tackle in the 15th minute.
As desperation crept in, Jacob Stanoch had a quality look in the 74th minute and beat the keeper with a curler from outside the 18-yard box, but his shot sailed about six inches wide of the far post.
Those, mixed with corners and free kicks in promising positions, all signified windows to draw level. But the equalizer never found the netting.
“Games like this, they’re always tight. The number of chances you’re going to get are going to be few,” Toward said. “We created enough chances to put one in, we just obviously didn’t put one in.”
The season always seems to end all too soon, but any eulogy carries silver linings. That’s also true for a Bemidji team that won just four games in 2021 and was 4-7-1 entering the home stretch this fall. A five-match win streak that stretched into the playoffs clinched the program's first winning season since 2019.
“If you consider where this team was at the beginning of the season and where they wound up, there’s big improvement. For the future of this team, it’s very bright,” Toward said. “This team progressed very well, so we’re very pleased with that. There’s room to improve, as there always is and always will be, but they took a big step tonight.”
The Lumberjacks finish the season with a 9-8-1 record and graduate seven seniors in Tommy DeGeus, Zeke Graf, Will Greendahl, Bo Hofstad, Brodie Price, Devescovi and Stanoch.
ADVERTISEMENT
A valiant effort but an early set piece goal for Moorhead forced the Jacks to chase the game for 77’. Still, very proud of the growth of this young team and the leadership of the senior class. Congrats Jacob, Tommy, Will, Bo, Brodie, JD and Zeke on a great career.
— Bemidji Boys Soccer (@BHSJacksSoccer) October 19, 2022
Moorhead 1, Bemidji 0
BHS 0 0 -- 0
MHD 1 0 -- 1
First half -- 1, MHD GOAL, Qaqos (Namuq), 3’.
Second half -- No scoring.
Saves -- Helm (BHS) 6; Songstad (MHD) 2.
