Two second-half goals propel Rebels to sectional win at Southwestern

A dominant performance in the second half led Southwestern (Hanover) to a 2-0 victory Wednesday over Southwestern (Shelby) in the Class A sectional semifinal match.

Connor Johnson scored in the first five minutes of the second half and the Class A, No. 17 Rebels kept up the pressure over the next 40 minutes resulting in Johnson's second goal inside the final five minutes.

With the win, the Rebels (12-2-4) will face Trinity Lutheran (8-7) in Saturday's sectional championship match at Southwestern (Shelby). The Cougars defeated Austin, 7-1, in the second semifinal match Wednesday.

Playing without its two leading scorers, Southwestern (Shelby) expected a low-scoring affair. Nearly one month earlier, the Spartans and Rebels played to a scoreless tie.

The Spartans (12-4-1) had scoring opportunities in the first half but could not capitalize.

The Rebels' first goal came on a penalty kick after a handball call on the Spartans in the box. Johnson fired the penalty kick past a diving Chandler Holt for the first lead.

The Rebels started stacking corner kicks from there, including four consecutive on the same possession, and never let the Spartans flip the field and get into attack mode.

"I think our whole mentality changed after that first goal," said Southwestern senior defender Josh Karr. "We knew they would come out pretty hard in the second half and we were pretty confident we could keep them down."

"They kept the energy while we lost it," said Southwestern senior midfielder Cecil Newton (photo, with ball on chest).

The Class A, No. 14 Spartans earned just one corner kick in the second half and never seriously challenge goalkeeper Tryson Warren.

"It was really a tale of two halves. We had chance after chance in the first half and couldn't convert," said Southwestern head coach Taylor Meredith. "In the second half, I don't know if we had a (scoring) chance. It seems like we had the ball 90% of the time in the first half and the complete opposite in the second half."

The Spartans played without Ethan Sipes (should injury) and Jesse Wilkins (concussion) which hampered the offensive sets. Sophomore Jayden McGuire was expected to have a starting role but was injured during the summer and never took the field this season.

All three return next season along with the arrival of a talented eighth-grade class only needing to replace Karr and Newton -- the only seniors on this year's roster.

"I was just hoping to win one sectional when I took this job," said Meredith, who has developed the school's most successful program. "It just seems like every year we lose guys that we won't be able to replace, and we just reload and keep going."

Southwestern has won four sectional titles since capturing its first in 2006. The Spartans won three straight from 2020-2022. The other sectional title came in 2016.

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