Jackson soccer out to prove defense wins championships

Jackson goalkeeper Luke Mirly kicks the ball downfield against Perryville on Monday at Jackson.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Jackson Indians boy’s soccer team has won their districts for three straight years but missed out on No. 4 last year. After shutting out Perryville 4-0 on Monday to improve to 10-1, the Indians look to be primed for another deep postseason run.

Jackson has lost only one game this season, a 5-1 defeat to the Notre Dame Bulldogs. Outside of that game, the Indians have allowed a grand total of three goals all season, one to North County and two to Cape Central.

Juniors Brayden Stowe and Deonta Blair each scored two goals against Perryville, which took the pressure off senior goalkeeper Luke Mirly and the defense the entirety of the game. That seems to be a winning formula for the Indians, who notched their eighth shutout of the season and has outscored opponents 40-8.

“It’s huge because when we have the ball on top they don’t have it back on us and it’s a blow to the other team,” Mirly said.

Led by Mirly, who has been Jackson’s varsity goalkeeper for three years, the Indians are out to prove the proverb that defense wins championships.

“Our goalie has been in net since sophomore year,” head coach Zack Walton said, “so he has a lot of experience playing for us. That showed in his communication and demeanor and the way he kind of took charge in the box.

“He’s definitely a senior leader for us. He’s definitely a guy back there when he’s on his game and he’s doing his job at communicating it makes the rest of our back line that much more confident and much better.”

“I’ve grown a little bit,” Mirly said. “I’ve gotten a little bit stronger.”

The secret to Jackson’s success on defense has been their crystal clear communication.

“A lot of communication back there,” Walton said. “Our defense played well. Our keeper played well and I was proud the way they played back there all the way through. We kept a good team out of the back of the net. A lot of credit goes to our defense, had to make a lot of quick adjustments and help cover a couple extra midfielders at times here and there and still cover the forwards. They did a good job.”

“The communication means everything really,” Mirly said, “knowing where people are going to be, what they’re going to do. Even at one point, I had to come out [of the box] on one in the first half, they got a shot passed me. Carson Gier had my back. Just all that communication really comes into play.”

The Jackson varsity squad is made up of almost exclusively juniors and seniors, with the exception of one sophomore. Three members of the junior class, Will Essner, Chalon Domian and Mason Grindstaff, were up for Semoball Player of the Year last year. Many of the midfielders and forwards are juniors but the defense belongs to the seniors, anchored by Mirly and Devin Reiminger.

Overall the mantle of leadership has been a collaborative effort.

“Devin, our captain, leads us into battle sometimes but the juniors really step up and take that leadership role too,” Mirly said.

Whenever a team is crowned as championships, one of the central contributing factors to its success is chemistry. The Indians look to have that chemistry after playing together for years.

“We just got a good group of juniors and seniors right now,” Walton said. “This group just loves soccer. They love to be out here at practice. They love to work hard and they’re so competitive. They really want to win every single time they get on the field and it’s intense every single time.”

“I think we’re just so close,” Mirly said. “We’ve grown up playing together. We played together forever. I think just the fact that we’re all so close to each other is really what brings this team together.”

The Indians travel to Cape Central on Thursday. A rematch with Notre Dame looms over a week from now. Only time will tell if the Indians maintains their defensive mettle going into districts.