Nasty conditions end Byron boys’ soccer season in Section Semifinals

The second-seed Byron soccer boys had a great start to the Section 1AA quarterfinal round on Tuesday night, October 10, hosting #7-seed Waseca at Byron High School. Caden Fox got the team going when he finished a perfect pass from Liam Schick, 15 seconds into the game, for the 1-0 lead. Schick then went off for three straight goals, 2 were assisted by fellow captain Aydan Tye and one from Talon Henderson. The fifth goal was another Caden Fox masterpiece, assisted by Tye again.
The scoring ended with Isaiah McMahon’s first varsity goal with 29 minutes remaining in the game. Thomas Lambrecht provided the assist. GK Jackson Ihrke kept a clean sheet in goal, turning back two shots. It was a perfect night for soccer, and the Bears were able to play their superb passing game to set up players in dangerous areas.
The 7-0 win versus Waseca, set up a semifinal game against #3 seed Northfield at Byron High School on Thursday night. And that was when things began to blow up, literally. The wind and driving rain had rendered the Byron field “unplayable,” and both teams were quickly bused to KMTEL Stadium to play the game. The rain and wind increased to nearly sideways torrents and, due to the field orientation, one team would have the wind at its back in the first half, and the other team would have that advantage in the second half. This proved to be the Bears’ undoing. Choosing the wind in the first half, Byron struggled to connect passes, as the wind blew the ball past the intended receiver dozens of times. With 13 minutes left in the first half, Talon Henderson found Byron’s leading scorer, Liam Schick, deep in the Northfield half, and he beat the backline to get 1-on-1 with the Northfield GK.
Schick eased a pass into the back of the net, as GK Zachary Breiland closed him down. There was a violent collision and both players stayed down on the turf. Schick had a leg injury, while Breiland suffered a head injury. Both players were taken to Saint Marys Rochester by ambulance. The teams debated whether to continue the game due to the conditions and the emotional trauma caused by the accident.
In the end, the game continued circa 40 minutes later, with Byron up 1-0. Just 1 minute later, a hand ball in the Northfield box created a penalty kick situation, and Talon Henderson converted, to go up 2-0. No further Bears’ goals could be had the rest of the half, despite being in the Northfield half the entire time. Now the Bears had to figure out how to keep Northfield off the scoreboard, while facing into the wind. Just 4 minutes into the second half, a Northfield corner kick slipped through the GK hands, to bring Northfield within 1. Eight minutes later, a foul by Byron inside their own penalty area, resulted in a successful Northfield penalty kick, tying things at 2-2.
Six minutes later, a long Raiders’ shot from 40 yards out, gathered momentum from the wind. The wet ball was too much to handle by the Byron GK, thus Northfield tallied its third and decisive goal. Byron had a couple of dangerous attacks, but shots were missed or got hung-up in the wind. Missing Schick’s amazing speed was also evident, as that was the best strategy to counter the blistering, whirling winds. Passes and air balls were nearly impossible. The game ended in a 3-2 Northfield win. Byron’s season ended 10-7-1, and they scored an amazing 64 goals, while allowing just 27.
“Both injured players are now home and recovering. The Kasson Fire Department, EMT personnel, school trainers and Mayo ambulance staff, were all incredibly amazing and professional. They took complete charge and their efforts reduced the severity of the injuries from what they might have been. We were so lucky to have them nearby,” commented Coach Dave Bahr.
Byron loses 8 incredible seniors, who have left a lasting mark on the program: Captains Liam Schick, Aydan Tie and Talon Henderson, as well as Braedon Miner, Scott Kreisher, Thomas Lambrecht, Ethan Hearn and Matthew Grossman. They will all be greatly missed.