MONTICELLO – In more ways than one, the Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley soccer team reached new territory on Saturday.
A 3-1 win over Oakwood/Salt Fork in Saturday’s IHSA Class 1A Monticello Sectional semifinal match propelled the Bunnies to the round of 16 for the first time in school history.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Fisher/GCMS head coach Robbie Dinkins said.
When Oakwood/Salt Fork scored on a free kick with 14:24 left in the first half, it was the first time in seven matches Fisher/GCMS allowed a goal. The goal gave OSF a 1-0 lead and the Bunnies their first deficit since Sept. 25, when they lost 1-0 to Coal City in the Rivals Cup.
“We’ve played a lot of good teams this summer and some bigger schools to prepare us for this situation,” Dinkins said. “Then we added some good teams on our schedule throughout the season. Give them credit. They just kept grinding throughout that second half. That was fun to watch.”
The free kick was awarded to the Comets after Fisher/GCMS was given a red card, making the Bunnies shorthanded with just 10 players for the rest of the contest.
“That’s the first time I think I’ve been a part of a situation in the postseason where we’re down a player for as long as we were,” Dinkins said.
Fighting back
The Bunnies (20-3-1) tied the match with a goal by Sid Pfoff via a Zack Zbinden assist with 1:14 left in the first half.
“That really helped,” Dinkins said. “The guys just battled. When you have a team like we do that just moves on to the next play and just plays together like they did, you can do that. It’s not easy. but they said, ‘Coach, we can still beat these guys with 10.’ They had that confidence.”
In the 65th minute, Mason Doman drove to the net and drew a penalty.
“We told him to hang back a little bit to help out with defense, but he saw that opening and made a run,” Dinkins said. “He’ll make 2-3 runs throughout the game where teams will pick him up. He was going to unload that shot, but he got taken out.”
From there, David Hull tallied what would be the match-winning goal on the penalty kick with 15:38 left in the contest.
“We practice that a lot,” Hull said. “You kind of just calm yourself and try to think that I’m going to put this in the back of the net, and most of the time, it goes in.”
“David wanted that penalty kick,” Dinkins added. “He was the first one to look at me and say, ‘I’m going to take this.’ We gave it to him, and he capitalized on it.”
Pfoff then scored his second goal of the match with 1:39 remaining in the contest.
“I just put the ball in the net. My teammates dished out great passes right to me,” Pfoff said. “If I missed, I knew I was going to regret it, so I just put it in the back of the net. Those passes were perfect. You can’t put it in any better place than they put in.”
Hull was credited with the assist on the goal.
“It was nice to get that third one,” Dinkins said. “It was an excellent pass from David. They played together all year, and you can tell they have that chemistry.”
Fisher/GCMS and Oakwood Salt Fork each had 12 shots on goal as Parker Baillie had eight keeper saves for the Bunnies.
“I was very proud of the way our defense played and of our midfield for busting their butts,” Dinkins said.
The defensive effort was especially impressive when taking into account that Fisher/GCMS played shorthanded for most of the contest, Pfoff and Hull said.
“We had a setback with that red card, but with the chemistry and the family that we have, we came together,” Pfoff said. “It’s hard to play with 10 players, but everybody busted their butt, and that’s why we came out on top.”
“It’s hard to do, but we’re known for not giving up and we play pretty hard, so I think that plays a big factor into it,” Hull added.
Hopping on
The Bunnies will face Normal University High School in the sectional finals at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’re playing pretty well right now,” Hull said. “We’re just going to focus on the next game and try to pull through.”
Last year, U-High defeated Fisher/GCMS in the 1A regional finals en route to a state runner-up finish. In their sectional semifinal match on Saturday, the Pioneers won 6-0 over a St. Joseph-Ogden team that set a state record for most goals scored.
“They returned a decent amount of their roster,” Dinkins said. “They’re very experienced. They’ve been in these situations.”
Pfoff says his team feels confident as it continues its postseason run.
“We’re going to keep trying to go farther. I think we can go farther,” Pfoff said. “I think we can compete with any team in the state. It’s just exciting. We’re going to cherish every minute of it. You don’t get this every day. We’re going to show people what we can do. Hopefully, we can come out on top.”
According to Dinkins, the postseason run has caught the attention of numerous Fisher/GCMS alumni, including some from out of state.
“I just appreciate all the people who came out,” Dinkins said. “We’ll see if we can get to the Elite Eight, which would be amazing.”
Whatever happens in the postseason, some soccer careers will continue beyond high school as Hull will play for Olivet Nazarene University.
“High school soccer’s been great, so I kind of just want to keep going and further education,” Hull said.
For Hull, 2024 has been a successful year as he was also part of the GCMS baseball team that finished fourth in its first ever state final appearance.
“That was wonderful,” Hull said. “Our class is very athletically gifted, and I think we’re finally starting to show it.”
Fisher/GCMS 3, Oakwood/Salt Fork 1
FGCMS 1 2 — 3
OSF 1 0 — 1
Scoring summary
OSF – Free kick.
FGCMS – Sid Pfoff (Zack Zbinden assist).
FGCMS – David Hull (penalty kick).
FGCMS – Pfoff (Hull assist).
Team stats
Shots on goal – Fisher/GCMS 12, Oakwood/Salt Fork 12.
Keeper saves – Fisher/GCMS 8 (Parker Baillie 8), Oakwood/Salt Fork 6.