Casey Haldis was in the right place at the right time Friday for a reason.
The Fargo Davies senior accounted for the lone goal as, in a rematch of last season's state championship, Davies edged Bismarck 1-0 in the semifinals of the North Dakota boys high school soccer tournament at Cushman Field.
Haldis made a run on the net off a deflection and buried the shot with 59:29, a score that ended Bismarck's bid for a repeat state title.
"He's done that all year-right place, right time,'' Davies coach Ian Costello said. "He hustles all the time and he knows the game. Good players know where to be.''
Eric Bimenyimana set up the game winner. The junior took a shot from the side that Demons goalie Easton Ford deflected. The ball went off his hand, off the post and richoted out in front of the net where Haldis was making a run on it.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I got a little lucky there,'' said Haldis, who scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season. "The ball happened to pop out front.
"But once I had the ball, I felt I could execute. It was in a perfect place, so it was easy to finish.''
The other best scoring opportunity of the game was nine minutes into the game, when Davies put a shot on goal that was deflected off the crossbar, then the Eagles put a rebound shot off the crossbar.
Otherwise, it was a defensive battle. Ford finished with three saves and Davies goalie Noah Sahr had three.
Consolation semifinals
GF Central 2, Mandan 1: After going five games without a goal, Sylver Osodo scored twice to give Central the win.
Mandan led 1-0 at halftime on an Evan Arenz goal six minutes into the game.
Osodo pulled Central even 4:14 into the second half. The senior scored the game-winner, his seventh goal of the season, with 6:38 remaining. Osodo cut to the net, took a pass from William Lawson-Body and scored from 20 yards out in front of the net for the second multi-goal game of his career.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Our guys did a nice job of showing resilience, bouncing back from an emotionally draining (3-2 loss in overtime to Bismarck) in the quarterfinals,'' Central coach George DuBois.
Fargo South 1, Minot 0: South won the defensive battle on the strength of Alvin Johnson. The Bruins junior scored the game's lone goal 2:39 into the second half. It was Johnson's fifth goal of the season.
Both goaltenders-Jordan Reihe of South and the Magicians' Braden Cochran-had five saves.
