The Liberty Christian boys soccer team found itself at a deadlock with Heritage Classical Christian Academy in the Metro Athletic Conference third-place game on Oct. 11. 

Hitting shot after shot, the Eagles knew their time was coming soon – they just had to be patient. 

As sophomore Asher Lyons delivered a pass to senior Tommy Meyer late in the second half, Meyer quickly gave him the ball back for a one-two combination. Taking the ball to the outside, Lyons slotted the ball perfectly in the back of the net. 

“It took a lot of teamwork and talking,” Lyons said. “Tommy Meyer is very good and he helps us out a lot. It was pretty fun getting that goal.” 

Liberty Christian coach Ken Dildine has stressed that it “only takes one” all season – and the Eagles’ performance was a perfect example of that. 

Once that first goal was scored, the floodgates opened and Meyer shortly after scored. 

“It was very satisfying, especially since I missed like six in a row,” Meyer said. “I think it just took a little anger. I was not going to let anyone stop me, so I just powered through.” 

The 2-0 win over Heritage cemented the Eagles’ third-place finish in the conference tournament. The Eagles finished with a 2-1 record. They also had a 4-1 win against Thomas Jefferson and an 8-0 loss in the semifinals to Crosspoint. Meyer and Cole Nelsen were selected for the all-conference team. 

For Dildine, watching the match against Heritage unfold on the sidelines had been nerve racking. 

“You’re always scared when it’s 0-0 at halftime to make that adjustment and keep it going full throttle, but once we got that first goal, we kept going and kept pushing through,” Dildine said. “I’m very proud of the boys.” 

Dildine said the turning point came down to one simple thing – moving the ball around. 

“I told them if we want to win this game, we have to move the ball and that’s what happened. We scored two goals off of nice passes and that’s the outcome,” Dildine said. 

While the offense came alive in the second half, the defense consistently denied the Hawks any chances from start to finish. 

“(The key) is really just communication,” centerback Cruz Meyer said. “Everybody communicated and we worked as one team.” 

Even with being a freshman, Meyer conducts his line while maintaining poise. 

“I take it very honorable that they let me lead them on defense,” Meyer said. 

“I really do believe we have the best defense in the conference. They’re just an amazing group of kids. They work together and they’re solid,” Dildine added. 

Dildine also touted his young goalkeeper Malcolm Geeding. 

“He’s really stepped up and just turned a totally different page in the last three weeks,” Dildine said. “We still have to get on him a bit because he is young, but he has a good mindset.” 

With the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association state tournament beginning on Oct. 23, Dildine is confident in his team turning in a strong showing. 

“If they play like they did today and move the ball around, we’ll be good,” Dildine said. “When we take care of the ball and take care of ourselves, we win. When we play selfishly, we lose. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.” 

Meyer is also looking forward to seeing how his team’s continually growth will translate to the big stage. 

“I feel pretty good going into state,” he said. “We’re way stronger than we were at the beginning of the season.”