Phil Savitz didn't end his career the way he wanted, but there was no disappointment in his voice Friday night.
Stratford defeated Savirtz's River Bluff team 5-4 in a shootout in the Class 5A lower state boys soccer semifinals at The Swamp.
With the win, the Knights advance to Monday's Lower State championship match against Wando.
The loss ended a 45-year coaching career that made Savitz the winningest youth soccer coach in SC history. He played in a state record 824 games and won 15 state championships with stops at Irmo and River Bluff.
“It's unfortunate that it was a penalty shootout, but I couldn't be more proud of them,” Savitz said. “I'm disappointed in them, but I'm not disappointed in them. I truly believe that if the penalties had gone in, we could have won the state championship, but it wasn't supposed to happen.”
Savitz announced in October that he would retire and be replaced by Trad Miller, a longtime assistant at Irmo and River Bluff. So Savitz was preparing for this moment…he was hoisting the state championship trophy and just hoping it would happen.
“I've been preparing for this moment and I wanted to be on the state championship stage with them,” Savitz said.
“I'm disappointed in them, just like any other team. This is my last high school game, but when you go out with a group like that, you do it every time you go out.”
Things were set for a career-ending story. The Gators defeated Chapin 2-0 in the final game of the regular season to win the Region 4-5A championship and secure home-field advantage for the championship.
River Bluff survived a tough game Wednesday and battled back to defeat West Ashley in a shootout and advance to the playoffs.
It looked like River Bluff was going to do another thriller on Friday. The Gators missed several chances in the fourth overtime before going into penalty kicks. River Bluff then took a 3-2 lead on a penalty shot by Alejandro Romero, but needed one more stop to decide the game.
But Stratford's Nathan Arroyo tied it at 3-3. After both teams scored on their next shots, Stratford goaltender Enzo Mori made a big stop and Daniel Martinez hit the winning goal for the Knights.
After the game, Savitz went around to the players, comforting those who were crying, and gathered the team at midfield for a roughly five-minute postgame speech. Later, his wife, children, grandchildren and family joined him.
“We're going to go back and commiserate, hug, love and celebrate this amazing and serendipitous career,” Savitz said. “And no team has given us more love, fight and excitement than this team.”
Friday area playoff schedule
baseball
Class 5A
Blythewood at Hillcrest
Class 4A
Greer at the airport
AC Flora's May River
Wade Hampton of Lugoff Elgin
SCISA 4A
Ben Lippen at Lawrence Manning
Cardinal Newman at Wilson Hall
Hammond at Trinity University
soft ball
Class 5A
Lexington at Woodmont
Mauldin at Dutch Fork
Blythewood at Barnes
Fort Dorchester at Chapin
white knoll in carolina forest
class 3A
Beaufort in Swansea
Gilbert of Hanahan
loris at camden
Brookland Casey of Battery Creek
class 2A
Abbeville at Fairfield Central
blacksburg at saluda
Batesburg-Leedsville 17, Columbia 1
Keenan at Mid-Carolina
Gray University's Ninety Six
Pelion's Liberty
North Central at Barnwell
soccer
5th grade group A boys
Stratford at River Bluff
3rd grade group A boys
Hanahan in Camden
2nd year group A boys
Greer Middle School at Gray University
Greenville Tech in Batesburg Leesville
