Nebraska’s soccer community showed its heart this week — both on and off the field

With extra emphasis on the back half of that phrase.

Not only did more than 10,000 people show up to downtown Omaha to watch championship matches on Monday and Tuesday night — although that fact shouldn’t be skipped past.

But it was the shows of support that were on full display around Morrison Stadium — ones that went much further than ticket sales — that again made the state tournament a can’t-miss event.

It was the entire town of Lexington showing up to support their boys in the Class B final.

And it was Prep captain Jack Johnson — moments after the match of his life — going through the handshake line with poise and words of encouragement for opposing players experiencing the opposite emotions.

It was the looks of shock and almost disbelief on the face of the Lincoln Southwest girls after late dramatics got the program its first title.

And it was a passing of the guard — both literally and figuratively — after Sonora DeFini became the state’s new scoring queen.

But it might have been an email, of all things, that I got over the weekend that sticks with me the most.

The morning after his Bennington girls won in the opening round, Badgers coach Ed Anibal reached out to relay a story that would typically get lost in the shuffle.

Prior to their match on Wednesday night, Anibal said he was handed an envelope by a coach from Grand Island Northwest, their first round opponent.

In it were donations collected for one of the Bennington soccer families directly affected by last month’s tornadoes.

“The gesture was extremely meaningful on many levels and shows the care and compassion of our soccer community,” Anibal said.

It’s something that “transcends soccer,” he added.

A donation a week earlier from Lexington — both the soccer team and community — was made prior to their district final match with Elkhorn, money to help support those impacted by the storms.

But it wasn’t just off-the-field gestures.

I caught a meaningful moment between the past and present of the sport after DeFini and her Gretna East teammates collected their Class B medals and trophies.

Katie Hobbs — who owned the state’s goal scoring record prior to DeFini breaking it Monday night — was on hand to congratulate the new owner of a mark that stood for 26 years.

“I thought it was so cool,” Hobbs said of the experience. “I didn’t want to be a big piece of it, I just wanted to congratulate her.”

The two met (for the first time) near midfield, snapped some pictures, and Hobbs acted like she was putting a crown on DeFini.

“She’s an excellent player,” Hobbs said. “I loved watching her play. It’s an absolute blast to watch excellent players.”

What’s the biggest difference between today’s game and the sport that Hobbs played in 1998?

She wondered the same thing this week.

“So I asked my dad,” Hobbs said with a laugh.

They decided on field type — most now are turf instead of grass — and the focus on soccer year-round.

One thing that hasn’t changed? The respect for the game.

Asked if any part of Monday night was bittersweet, Hobbs didn’t hesitate with her answer.

“Not at all,” she said. “Records are there to be broken.”