As soccer season approaches, this year’s team is hoping to make history again.

One of the last times the Packers won state was in 2019 accompanied by a roar of almost 6,000 spectators at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium. The game was a close thriller, headlining two soccer giants in Class A soccer: Omaha South, the overall No. 1 seed, and Creighton Preparatory, the overall No. 3 seed in the state tournament. Both teams marched their way into the final game May 13 where the Packers overcame the Jr. Jays to win their third state title in school history. The game had a scoreless first half and a goal for both teams in the last five minutes of the second half sending the game into two overtime periods where no goals were scored, and the game went into a penalty shootout, where Omaha South eventually won 2-1.

Prep’s 2019 graduate captain, Matthew Anderson, helped the Jr. Jays take the lead late in the second half with a goal off a corner kick. “After seeing South save more than three shots off the line, it was a relief to finally see my header go in the net,” Anderson said.

When asked if the crowd had an impact on the game, Anderson said the crowd absolutely impacted the game on both sides of the fan bases. “The Birdcage was so electric, and the Omaha South fan base was incredible as well,” he said.

“When I saw the last penalty shot go over the crossbar, I realized that we had lost the game, and it was a devastating feeling.”

After high school, Anderson attended and graduated from Saint John’s University in Minnesota where he got the opportunity to volunteer in Nairobi, Kenya, for six months. Anderson is also giving back to the soccer community by coaching a club soccer team. “I want to be the coach that’ll have players fall in love with the sport,” he said.

Omaha South’s 2019 graduate goalkeeper Jeremiah Gonzales was widely considered the player of the game by many, with saves that sometimes seemed improbable. Gonzales saved a total of three penalty shots, including one over future U.S. soccer Olympian Duncan McGuire.

When Prep scored the leading goal in the second half, Gonzales said he felt disappointed in not being able to stop the ball from going in.

“Oh man, I thought it was over with it being that close to the end of the game, and I felt like I let the team down,” Gonzales said.

Going into a penalty shootout in a state final in front of over 6,000 spectators can be nerve-wracking, but for Gonzales, this was his time to shine.

Gonzales said, “If you look at my track record, I’ve always been an expert in penalty shots, so I was quite excited.”

Gonzales recalls the most memorable moment as when the final penalty shot for Prep went over the bar and seeing his whole team running over to him with such joy on their faces.

Gonzales now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, and continues to spread the love of the sport by coaching an under-11 soccer team as well as coaching high school goalkeepers.