Norfolk’s Isidro Rosas (10) and Westside’s Cam Long fight for the ball during their Nebraska Soccer Talk “Game of the Week” matchup at Westside on April 19. (Photo/Fisher Madsen)
In soccer, one singular moment can decide a full 80 minutes of play. In Nebraska Soccer Talk’s “Game of the Week” between the No. 4 Norfolk Panthers and the Omaha Westside Warriors, that’s exactly what happened.
After a scoreless first 56 minutes, Westside’s Ellis Oksman found an opportunity off a header to score his tenth goal of the season and secure Westside’s sixth win.
“I saw (teammate Tiergan Haley) get that ball in the wing and obviously I wanted it to cross to me,” Oksman said. “It went over my head, so I thought, ‘trust in my teammate to go up, win that header and just get in the right spot, hopefully it comes down to me’ and it did.”
Norfolk’s Maddox Furst (0) saves the ball during their Nebraska Soccer Talk “Game of the Week” matchup against Westside at Westside on April 19. (Photo/Fisher Madsen)
Coming into the match Norfolk was 10-2 and boasted a win against Lincoln Southwest. The Panthers were led by forward Isidro Rosas’ 12 goals. A big part of Westside’s game plan revolved around stopping Rosas.
“We’re very well aware of (Rosas) because we we’ve played them,” Westside coach Mike Dean said. “He was really effective as freshman here two years ago, so we’re very aware of him. Trying to make others other than him beat us was the kind of the key, but you can see how they bounced him around at the left side, the right side, trying to find any way to penetrate the back four.”
Westside, meanwhile, had a rougher start to the season. After entering the Metro tournament 3-3, the Warriors lost 6-1 to Creighton Prep. However, the Warriors seem to be turning around the ship.
“Nobody wins state championships in March in April,” Dean said. “We want to try to pivot and take what we’ve learned from the first nine games and take those learning lessons and see what we can do in the on the home stretch.”
Looking ahead, Norfolk has the Heartland Conference Tournament and a rivalry matchup against Columbus, while Westside has three games to go before the postseason.
Westside’s Miles Oksman jumps over a Norfolk defender while in pursuit of the ball during their Nebraska Soccer Talk “Game of the Week” matchup at Westside on April 19. (Photo/Fisher Madsen)
OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS
BOYS
Monday
Roncalli 3 – #5 Skutt 1
A Will Preston hat trick led the Pride to their first victory over the Skyhawks in recorded history. The Pride moved to 6-3 after the win and currently sit at seventh in NSAA power points. Skutt, meanwhile, is currently on the outside of the top eight in points.
TUESDAY
#8 Gretna East 0 – #6 Elkhorn North 0 (S0)
In their third shootout game of the season, East finally was able to secure their first shootout win in their match against the Wolves after 100 scoreless minutes.
#9 Gretna 2 – #1 Bennington 1
In their biggest win this season, the Dragons found a result against a top-ranked Bennington side. Elijah Fulton and Brady Cerone were the scorers for Gretna.
#1 Creighton Prep 2 – #7 Millard West 0
Creighton Prep continued their dominant 10-game win streak against Millard West. Louis Tokporo and Jordan Igwenma were the goal scorers for the Junior Jays.
THURSDAY
Omaha South 3 – Papio South 2
After a 5-0 beatdown from Papio South, Omaha South found their revenge Thursday afternoon at Papillion Landing. Julian Rodriguez, Dylan Holden, and Yeria Vargas each found the net on the match.
#6 Elkhorn North 1 – #9 Gretna 0
Luke Grigsby was the lone scorer of the match, as the Wolves secured a quality result in a Class B that’s turns out more confusing results by the day.
Westside 2 – Elkhorn South 0
Westside separated themselves in a clash of NEST teams to watch. Ellis Oksman scored the brace for the Warriors.
#3 Lincoln Southwest 4 – #8 Kearney 3
The Silverhawks remain victorious in the I-80 Cup series in a high-scoring road trip. Four different Silverhawks found the net in the match.
Saturday
A #6 Omaha South 3 – B #8 Gretna East 0
Omaha South continued in the right direction after their early Metro tournament exit against a quality Class B side. Rodrigues, Ryan Kubiak, and Joel Atencio scored for the Packers.
#3 Lincoln Southeast 1 – #10 Lincoln Southwest 0
For the first time since 2023, Southeast secured a result over cross-town rival Southwest. Gerado Valenciano scored for the Knights in the first half, which was enough for the win.
Blair’s Cadence Field (9) and Bennington’s Ava Kaiser (10) fight for possession of the ball during their matchup at Blair on April 17. (Photo/Fisher Madsen)
GIRLS
MONDAY
#1 Gretna East 4 – #5 Blair 3
The Blair Bears gave top-ranked Gretna East arguably their toughest match of the season. Blair was up 2-3 in the second half before Gretna East scored two goals with under eight minutes left on the clock.
TUESDAY
#5 Kearney 2 – #10 Lincoln Southeast 0
Reese Holscher had a goal in each half to give the Bearcats the road win against Southeast. The match was their first win against a ranked Lincoln team.
#1 Gretna East 3 – #9 Elkhorn North 0
Gretna East continued their dominance against yet another ranked opponent in Elkhorn North. Kendall Dobberstien and Addie Larock assisted each other on a pair of goals, and the other goal came off an own goal.
#7 Bennington 0 – Gretna 0 (SO)
Unfortunately for Gretna supporters, the Dragons string of bad luck continued against Bennington. The match was the fifth straight loss for Gretna.
#2 Pius 2 – #3 Skutt 2 (SO)
In a clash of top Class B teams, Pius gained a great result on the road at Skutt. The win gave Pius a 5-2 record, with their only losses coming to Gretna East and Lincoln Southwest.
THURSDAY
#6 Elkhorn South 2 – #9 Millard North 1 (OT)
Blu Kiper scored in the first half and the overtime period to add another ranked win to South’s resume. The Storm currently sit in fourth place in the power point rankings.
Gretna 2 – #9 Elkhorn North 0
The Dragons got back on track with their first ranked win of the season. Briella Thompsen and Juliette Lila both found the net for Gretna.
B #2 Pius 2 – A #7 Westside 1
In a cross-class matchup, the Class B Thunderbolts narrowly earned the win against Metro Conference runners-up Westside.
#3 Marian 3 – #8 Papio – LaVista 0
After a disappointing exit in the Metro semifinals, the Marian Crusaders won against a solid Papio-LaVista team. So far, the Crusaders have two losses to Bellevue West and one loss to Lincoln Southwest.
Fisher Madsen is a contributor for Nebraska Soccer Talk, currently studying Sports Media at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.