Missouri Class 2 state soccer recap: St. Pius X winds up third

A spot in the Missouri Class 2 third-place match wasn’t the record-breaking opportunity the St. Pius X boys soccer team envisioned when it reached the final four for the fourth time in seven seasons. But after a heartbreaking final four loss to Perryville in the semifinals, it was the only one the Warriors were left with.

They made the most of it.

St. Pius X defeated Springfield Catholic 4-1 to finish third in Missouri Class 2 and claim the best finish in program history.

The Warriors settled for fourth place in each of their previous three trips to the final four.

“Finally. It’s a huge relief,” St. Pius X coach Todd Ashby said. “I told the boys, ‘It’s not the game you came for, but it’s the game you’re given. Only two teams get to finish with a win, and it’s so much better to go into the offseason with a win.’”

Luis Rizek, Colin Cummings, Manuel Victoria and Jacob Boeschen scored for the Warriors in the third-place game.

Trevor Cissell led the team with 42 goals for the season. Charlie Parrish had a team-best 14 assists. Both players are juniors who will be back next season. And they will return after two straight appearances in the state tournament.

Ashby noted that a 2013 trip to the state tournament helped the team in Saturday’s third-place win.

“Experience helps out,” Ashby said. “They’ve been here before. They know what’s involved. They know what they’re playing for. It really helped out. I knew they were going to go through those ups and downs like every team does. I’m proud of them. They played great.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Missouri Class 2 state soccer recap: St. Pius X winds up third."