Plymouth boys soccer blanks Somerset in WIAA state semifinal, seeks 1st title since 2002
MILWAUKEE - The Plymouth Panthers boys soccer team peppered the Somerset Spartans goal early and often on Thursday at Uihlein Soccer Park, out attacking a team which scored 127 goals on the season.
No. 2 seeded Plymouth cruised past No. 3 Somerset 5-0 in the WIAA Division 3 state semifinals, advancing to the state championship for the first time since 2002.
“It is surreal,” said Panthers coach Scott Koenig of the win. “I think we were clinical in how we approached the game. Our defense was really strong, we on a lot of headers, and obviously the offense came out and scored some goals like I know they should.”
This is Plymouth’s sixth state tournament appearance and first since 2018. The Panthers won the Division 2 championship in 2002.
Jaren Baltus got the scoring started in the ninth minute. He added two assists as well as Plymouth outshot the Spartans 26-6 and 19-1 in the first half.
“That’s a big start, important to get that goal,” Baltus said of the early score. “We had the momentum going for us and (the goals) kept coming for us.”
Carter Schmitz (17th) and Alec Wilderman (21st) added first half goals while Owen Plate scored a pair (65th and 67th) in the second half.
Koenig didn’t sugarcoat how much it meant to get the offense going early against a team with as much offense as the Spartans have brought to opponents.
“Critical,” Koenig said. “This Somerset team is one that can explode on you, they’re really fast in the back and getting those goals really early helped mellow the game out for us.”
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In a way, says Koenig, playing in the state semifinals was anticlimactic following a 1-0 win over Notre Dame in the sectional final on Saturday. Nobody on the current team had beaten the Tritons, including being knocked out in the playoffs multiple times.
“That game was kind of like the climax of the season,” Koenig said of the win over Notre Dame. “Notre Dame was such a focus for us having lost to them a couple years this is about resetting ourselves and getting a championship.”
Baltus added it gave Plymouth added juice heading into the state tournament.
“That really boosted our momentum coming into state,” Baltus said. “It was our first time beating them in high school, so it was a big milestone.”
Koenig knew how much it meant to his players.
“All these kids knew was losing to Notre Dame so mentally that weighed on them a lot,” Koenig said.
Plate, who was also a member of the Plymouth football team as a kicker, talked about being able to score twice at state was a dream come true.
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“It’s something every soccer player, every attacker, dreams of especially at state,” Plate said. “Playing soccer all my life, this means a lot to me.”
And while the offense took the spotlight, the Panthers defense was the rock the past two games handing Notre Dame and Somerset its first shutouts of the season to end their seasons.
“We wouldn’t be able to any of this without them,” Plate said of the defense’s contributions.
Added Koenig: “I think these guys have proven they can shut out good teams,” Koenig said. “When the guys put their mind to it and focus mentally, we’re a really tough team to beat.”
Plymouth has enjoyed the season, especially the last two games, but Plate says the state championship match against No. 4 Belleville/New Glarus Raiders on Saturday has the Panthers attention now.
“We’re not done yet, we got to focus on Saturday,” Plate said.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: WIAA boys soccer: Plymouth blanks Somerset in Division 3 state semi
