歪歪漫画

BUFFALO 鈥� When Sam Byrne decided to come to the United States as an exchange student, the chances he landed at Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 were minuscule.

The senior opted for a random selection.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know where I was going to end up,鈥� Bryne said. 鈥淎 family 鈥� my family 鈥� they chose me. At first, I was like, 鈥榃here is Bemidji? Oh, it鈥檚 all the way up North?鈥� I was super open to it. This team has been like family to me. I鈥檓 super lucky to be placed in a school like this with a team like this.鈥�

Sarah and Travis Guida became Byrne鈥檚 host parents. They also watched Byrne score the winning goal in the Section 8-3A championship game against top-seeded Buffalo (11-4-4) to send the BHS boys soccer team (14-3-2) to state for the fourth time in program history.

It was a goal that was 4,000 miles in the making.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a feeling you dream about,鈥� Bryne said. 鈥淵ou dream about having the ball and scoring the winning goal. It doesn鈥檛 feel real.鈥�

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

In the 70th minute, the kid from the Netherlands fielded a cross from Reed Johnson just outside the 18-yard box before beating Buffalo keeper Isaac Brandstrom with a low-left shot. It was the difference in a 1-0 contest.

鈥淗e promised me a goal before the game,鈥� head coach Rick Toward said. 鈥淚n the second half, he promised me the game-winner. You can鈥檛 be much more prophetic than that.鈥�

Toward has praised the efforts of his core seniors from the moment summer practices opened. He鈥檚 witnessed a group of nine players bond together on the pitch for the better part of a decade.

But Toward needed one more.

Byrne isn鈥檛 a Bemidjian, but his 70th-minute strike will live in Lumberjacks lore forever.

鈥淚鈥檓 so happy he goes to Bemidji,鈥� senior Dash Hiller said. 鈥淓cstatic, actually.鈥�

鈥淭he second he showed up to practice, I was like, 鈥楾his is our guy,鈥欌�� senior Lincoln Schmitt said. 鈥淚 knew he was going to be the one who makes a difference. He pushes us in practice and he鈥檚 there to finish the goals. When we needed one, he gave us one.鈥�

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

Thursday was the first time Bemidji and Buffalo met in a section championship game in any class. With winds gusting between 20-30 miles per hour, the 8-3A title game quickly turned into a tale of two halves. The Jacks had the benefit of having the wind at their backs in the opening 40 minutes.

Bemidji had the majority of chances in the first half but couldn鈥檛 break through. However, the Bison couldn鈥檛 take advantage of the favorable conditions in the second half either.

鈥淗aving the wind at your back can lead you to play a style of game you don鈥檛 like to play,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淲e tried to play a longer ball in the first half, and it bit us. We played more of a possession game in the second half, created a great scoring opportunity and Sam found the back of the net. Buffalo never had anything to respond with.鈥�

Once Bemidji got the eventual winning goal, the focus shifted to draining out the remaining 10 minutes and change on the clock.

The Lumberjacks leaned on their stout back line and goalkeeping, surrendering just three shots on target in 80 minutes.

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

鈥淭he last two practices, we鈥檝e just been hammering,鈥� said Hiller, a defender. 鈥淲e know they want to play the long ball, and they鈥檙e good at it. We knew their goalie had an enormous foot, so we just had to drop back and watch the long ball. We just had to play our game.鈥�

When the clock showed a collection of zeros, the celebration commenced.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty speechless, I can鈥檛 lie,鈥� Schmitt said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked countless hours for this. We fell short a couple of times, but that led to this. We did it on our last ride.鈥�

Toward has donned first-place medals on his players three other times in his three-decade-long coaching career. He called his fourth turn at the honor 鈥渞ewarding.鈥�

鈥淭he goal was to get them to play as a group,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 talent on this team, but can we get them to play as 11? The game against Duluth East was our turning point. We lost 2-0 on their field and played one of the worst games of our season. Right after that, we didn鈥檛 lose for 11 games. We got nipped against (St. Cloud) Cathedral because we went in with a bad attitude. Then we win three straight in the section playoffs.

鈥淚鈥檓 super excited, super proud. But most of all, I鈥檓 so happy they believed in themselves and their coaches for what we were trying to get them to do.鈥�

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

For the players, the slow walk up to the center of the impromptu stage was years in the making.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want anyone else to give me this medal,鈥� Schmitt said of Toward. 鈥淔rom day one, he told me to trust him and we鈥檒l go all the way. He said he believes in us to go all the way, now we鈥檙e doing it. 鈥� There were times where we鈥檇 bike to the high school together to play soccer growing up. You do that for moments like this. I wouldn鈥檛 trade this team or these guys for anything.鈥�

One player in particular received a longer embrace after getting his medal. Toward put it around his son, Al, one of Bemidji鈥檚 nine core seniors.

鈥�(Assistant coach) Elmer (Galdamez鈥檚) son played in the state tournament,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淗e asked me tonight, 鈥楽o, what do you think?鈥� Well, now I understand how much that moment meant to him while Aspen was playing for us and when he got to be his coach. So for Al, especially with his journey he鈥檚 been on to get to this point, I鈥檓 just so proud.鈥�

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

As for Byrne, his trepidation of finding a quality American soccer team to play on were put to bed far before Thursday night at Buffalo High 歪歪漫画. But having the hardware to take home to the Netherlands to prove it was the finishing touch.

鈥淚鈥檓 used to a high level of soccer back home,鈥� Bryne said. 鈥淔inding a soccer team was a concern for me. I didn鈥檛 know what kind of team, if any, I鈥檇 get to play on. But this team is all I鈥檝e ever wanted. I knew our team had it in them since the first time I played with them. Now, it鈥檚 our reality. I don鈥檛 know if I believe it鈥檚 happened yet. I mean, we鈥檙e section champions, it鈥檚 insane.鈥�

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography

No. 2 Bemidji 1, No. 1 Buffalo 0

BEM 0 1 鈥� 1

BUF 0 0 鈥� 0

Bemidji 鈥� Byrne 70鈥� (Johnson).

Buffalo 鈥� No scoring.

Saves 鈥� Heuer (BEM) 3; Brandstorm (BUF) 4.

Courtesy / Lainie Hiller Photography