Edwards hat-trick stops Arcadia soccer in sectional
Senior defender Jared Hernandez worked to keep a Columbus Catholic attacker away from the middle of the field during the first half of last Thursday’s 4-1 loss in a sectional semifinal at Marshfield High School. (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)
The Arcadia Raiders looked like they had done it with eight minutes left in their Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division Four sectional semifinal playoff soccer game on Thursday.
Walker Slaby lined up a midrange shot for Arcadia and ripped it toward the far corner of the net, but Columbus Catholic goalie Lucas Kreklau dove through rain and bodies to make the save and keep his team ahead 2-1.
Two minutes later it was Columbus Catholic (20-4-2 this season) celebrating a goal of their own from Alex Edwards, an insurance marker that gave them a 4-1 win to advance to the sectional final and end Arcadia’s season.
“I told him, ‘As soon as you have it, buddy, you have it,’” Arcadia coach Luis Cruz said of pulling Slaby up from the back line for a late attack. “But I think he shot it a little too deep and wanted it a little higher, and I thought we had it. If we have that tie, this one (game) was going to be different.”
Arcadia was the first team to score on Thursday when an 18-yard shot from sophomore Johncarlos Uribe deflected off a Columbus Catholic defender and into the net 10 minutes in.
Charlie Moore tied the game for the top-seeded Dons in the 33rd minute on a deep shot into the upper netting, bringing the game to a 1-1 standstill that remained at halftime.
As what started as a light rain turned into a heavy downpour at Marshfield High School, Arcadia turned up the pressure at the same time.
Edwards had scored two minutes into the second half to give the Raiders’ opponent a 2-1 lead, and Arcadia was pushing to tie the game again.
Arcadia earned numerous looks, the closest of which came on Slaby’s attempt in the 72nd minute.
Edwards outran multiple Raider defenders moments later, eventually juking Arcadia goalie Will Cruz and sliding home his second goal of the game to make it 3-1. Edwards completed the trifecta with his third goal of the game on a penalty kick in the closing minutes.
The Raiders double-teamed Edwards on defense all game, but the Columbus Catholic senior still found ways to produce.
“I told my team we need to push a little more to get to their side, and don’t let number seven (Edwards) touch the ball,” Cruz said. “He’s got really good quality, and I think we gave in there in the second half.”
Arcadia ends the year with a 12-7-2 record.
The team’s coach said Arcadia maneuvered its first season in the Mississippi Valley Conference in 2023, a change that created some challenges but forced them to grow against bigger schools.
“We started the season up, and then we went down a bit. Being in the Mississippi Valley Conference and playing D1, D2, D3, that’s tough. But it’s good for us and helped us.”
