Final Irmo Game For Phil Savitz
Wando and Irmo captured SCHSL state soccer championships. Nothing new there.
But it was Irmo that won the boys title after Wando, unbeaten and favored to take that championship, was eliminated in the second round of postseason play by Dutch Fork.
Irmo picked up its 16th state title with a shootout win over Lexington HS to settle a scoreless draw.
It was the Wando women who won the 4-A championship, with a 2-0 shutout of J.L. Mann.
Final Irmo Game For Savitz
Mattison Gossett nailed the game-winning kick in a 4-3 shootout that gave Irmo the S.C. 4-A boys state title, and then the celebration began.
Neither team had scored in regulation and in overtime,
Championship games are for the players, but this one was also for the coach. It would be his swansong, and a sweet one at that.
It was Phil Savitz’ last game at Irmo where 23 of his teams have reach state championship games, winning 14 times. Along the way there were 634 victories.
Savitz, after 33 years at Irmo, is moving on to be the boys coach at the new River Bluff High School this fall.
This season Irmo played the season under the radar of expectations. The Yellow Jackets lost the final regular season games, and eight losses (17-8-0) matched the most losses by Savitz-coached team.
On the other side of the field, Lexington (17-10-1) was in the final for the first time. They had lost nine times and tied once in the regular season, but played the playoffs like they had been there every year. Along the way was a win over Dutch Fork, which had upset favored Wando in the second round.
It came down to Gossett’s kick after Irmo goalkeeper Hunter Wages had saved two Lexington kicks.
Savitz spoke after the game about his last Irmo team and what they had accomplished.
“This is the most inexperienced, youngest team I’ve coached in 33 years,” he said. “They don’t have the experience that so many of those previous teams that’s played for the state championship, but they have heart, chemistry and they believe in each other.
“It’s an amazing group to be associated with. I’m just happy I had the opportunity to be with them.”
Torley Leads Wando Win
Wando senior Rachel Torlay has a history of scoring in state championship games. Big goals for state titles.
She did it as a freshman in regulation for the 2010 title against Mauldin, eventually settled in an 11-round penalty kick shootout.
A year later she scored the game-winner against Mauldin for the championship, and as a senior she scored in the fourth minute to spark the Warriors to a 2-0 victory over J.L. Mann for the SCHSL 4-A girls state championship.
It was the Warriors third state title in four years.
It was another senior, Hannah Ross, whose second-half goal stretched the margin to 2-0.
At one point it looked like Torlay would not play against J.L. Mann. She went down with an injury in the Warriors’ 1-0 second round win over Dutch Fork, and missed the quarterfinals, a 4-0 victory against South Aiken.
“Our goal all year was to win the state championship,” said Wando coach Shannon Champ. “Our goal was to bring the state championship trophy back to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.”