O’Hara finishes third at Missouri Class 2 state soccer tournament in final match in program history

The final game in O’Hara boys soccer program history will forever be observed by a state trophy.

The Celtics played to a 1-1 draw with Lutheran South in the Missouri Class 2 third-place match Saturday at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. Both teams will be recognized as third-place finishers.

It was the last game for O’Hara, with the school closing next spring.

“There were a lot of emotions all day — before the game, during halftime, after the game,” O’Hara coach Dirk Lawson said in a phone interview. “We just tried to embrace it head on. We came out with a lot of energy and controlled the game and did well.”

O’Hara forward Ryan Rieger opened the scoring in the eighth minute — the product of an individual effort in which he beat the goalkeeper to rebound his own shot and head the ball into the net.

Lutheran South defender Donald Meyer recorded the equalizer three minutes before the final whistle.

A year after winning the first state championship in school history, O’Hara finished 20-8-2.

“These kids left O’Hara in a better place than they found it, especially the seniors over their four years here,” Lawson said. “They gave everything they had on the field today.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 3:55 PM with the headline "O’Hara finishes third at Missouri Class 2 state soccer tournament in final match in program history."