Shawnee Dispatch on Troop Out

By Mike Lavieri

September 1, 2014

OVERLAND PARK — The last time St. James Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas High boys soccer met prior to Friday night’s season-opening game was in the 5A state championship in November.

Like the championship game, Aquinas got the better of St. James, winning 4-0.

SJA coach Rick Enna said the 2013 season is over and that the tables are turned. He said St. James had all the fire power last year, while Aquinas has it this season.

STA’s Kevin Feuerborn scored less than eight minutes in to give the Saints the early lead. Marshall was in the middle of the box on a STA corner kick. The ball sailed past the goal but was tapped back to Marshall, who buried it into the back of the net.

He then celebrated by lifting his shirt over his head, a stunt the head referee missed.

Prior to the ensuing kickoff, a linesman waved the referee over, told him what happened and Feuerborn was issued a yellow card.

“I really did not know what to expect going into this game,” Enna said. “We graduated seemingly 90 percent of our team last year. We had a great team last year, we had a great run. Last year was kind of a fairy tale season for both our programs. We met at the beginning and played in a knock-down, drag-out overtime tie.”

A few minutes before the half, Aquinas had another opportunity, this one a free kick about 25 yards out. The Saints’ Matt Brown bent a left-footed shot around the wall and just past the post. SJA keeper Colin McCausland didn’t have a chance.

Zach Schneller and Luke Kutey added second half goals before the game was called with 6:09 remaining in the second half because of lightning.

Enna thought his team competed well, but doesn’t think they know how to score yet. The first shot on goal came in the second half.

“We had three great goal scoring opportunities,” Enna said. “We gave Aquinas a lot of their opportunities. We had a number of shots, they just weren’t on goal. We have to figure out how to get them on goal.”

St. James keeper Colin McCausland punches away a St. Thomas Aquinas corner kick. McCausland recorded eight shots in the 4-0 loss.

Last season, the Thunder relied on Steven Enna and Spencer Jones for scoring. However, they and seven other starters are gone.

Ramsey McMullin and Danny Phillips are the only two returning starters. While this current team has 13 seniors, Enna said for most this was their first real substantial varsity experience.

Enna think this team can go as far as it wants to if it eliminates mistakes in the midfield and also finding ways to score. He also said this team is capable of going home early.”

“In many ways our team tried to find (Steven Enna and Spencer Jones) a lot,” Enna said of 2013. “What makes this team potentially different and more competitive, maybe dangerous, is we’re going to have to find ways to score from a lot of different people. We don’t have tunnel vision this year.”