WIAA state soccer: 'All I was thinking was please don’t miss.' And St. Joseph's Grace Pechous didn't

Grace Pechous is no different from most of us.

When the chance to win a state championship literally fell at her feet in the 89th minute Saturday, she thought one thing.

“It was completely in slow motion,” she said. “All I was thinking was please don’t miss.”

The senior defender for the Kenosha St. Joseph girls soccer team didn’t. The result was a 2-1 victory over Cedar Grove-Belgium in the Division 4 title game at Uihlein Soccer Park that gave the Lancers a somewhat improbable championship.

The Lancers (16-5-1) played in the shadows of Racine St. Catherine’s most of the season. But after finishing second in the Metro Classic to a team that spent the bulk of the season ranked No. 1 in the state, they knocked off their rival in the sectional final to make the school's first WIAA state tournament appearance.

BOX SCORE:Kenosha St. Joseph 2, Cedar Grove-Belgium 1

DIVISION 1:Bay Port avenges only loss and wins first state title

DIVISION 2:Seniors lead Brookfield Central to second straight crown

DIVISION 3:Catholic Memorial's incredible state title run ends

WIAA STATE SOCCER:Scoreboard, box scores

In the semifinals Friday, St. Joseph shut out Eau Claire Regis/Chippewa Falls McDonell. Saturday's match was a war of attrition played a day so hot and humid that water breaks were instituted 20 minutes into each half.

It was under these conditions that St. Joseph’s title chances were melting away – the Rockets (16-1-1) were the more aggressive team in the final minutes – until sophomore Katherine Hamm made the play that opened the door for Pechous to be a hero.

Just after failing to connect on a corner kick, St. Joseph regained possession and Hamm, the team’s leading scorer, turned the corner and fired a shot that hit off the post. Pechous, who’d scored just one this season, was there to clean up the mess.

“My heart just dropped and the ball percolated perfectly in front of me,” Pechous said. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

The finish was beautiful for St. Joseph, but it was a tough game for both teams. In addition to the heat, each team had a difficult time creating opportunities for itself – St. Joseph had the only two shots on goal in the first half – and the Rockets had to adjust to playing the most physical team it faced this season.

The Lancers were called for 20 fouls compared to four for Cedar Grove-Belgium.

“It’s not something we’re accustomed to,” Rockets coach Elias Garza said. “That’s why I spoke with the officials in the first half, spoke with them at halftime to monitor that a little closer. When you’re outnumbered 20 fouls to four that’s an unjust and unfortunate pattern that we somehow have to play through.”

Despite the discrepancy in fouls, Cedar Grove-Belgium out-shot St. Joseph, 11-10, and, in Garza's opinion, possessed the ball more.

St. Joseph, however, has a young, talented team, with Hamm, sophomore Elizabeth Alia and junior Margaret “Maggie’ Del Fava capable of making special plays.

Alia and Del Fava teamed on the game’s first goal, a header by Del Fava off a corner kick by Alia that gave the Lancers the lead 5 minutes 40 seconds into the game.

The Rockets eventually tied the game at the 60:52 mark when sophomore goalkeeper Elliana Mandli didn’t cleanly clear a ball out of the box. Cedar Grove-Belguim’s Jessica Rose stole the ball. She couldn’t get off a shot, but when Mandli left the goal to cover Rose, it was wide open for senior Brittany Teunissen.

That’s where the match stood until Hamm and Pechous saved their teammates from what would have surely been an exhausting overtime and allowed fourth-year coach Edgar Espinosa to leave the game on top. He'd previously announced his resignation effective the end of the season in order to spend more time with his family.

“None of that matters. The tiredness, the fighting, the just being frustrated with ourselves. None of that matters anymore,” Del Fava said. “It paid off. I love these girls. We’re a family and we’re just excited and proud of each other.”