KENNER – Blake Day dropped to ground and lay on his back, staring at the sky. Moments later, he sat up, drawing his knees into his chest, resting his head on his legs.

By Bradley Handwerger / WWL-TV.com

Jesuit's Patrick Mullins, right, and Woodlawn's Jesse Dyer, both go up for a header in Saturday's Division I semifinal. Woodlawn won 1-0.

It wasn't because he was exhausted.

Despite controlling the tempo of the game and creating more scoring opportunities, Jesuit’s boys soccer team is out of the state playoffs, losing in the semifinals 1-0 to Woodlawn on a fluke goal allowed by a veteran goalkeeper.

For 69 minutes, the Blue Jays owned Woodlawn, showing exactly why they were the defending Division I state champions and why they were the favorites again.

But in the 70th minute, Jesuit keeper Evan Keller misplayed a ball played into the box, and Woodlawn’s Marcus Dyer was there to clean up, pacing the ball into an empty net.

“It looked like, to me, he briefly took his eye off the ball,” Jesuit head coach Hubie Collins said. “I’m sure he would love to have it back again. My heart goes out to him. He was fantastic for us all year. That was probably one of the few mistakes he’s made for us all year long.”

The Blue Jays still had chances, missing on three diving headers six yards from goal in the final 10 minutes, but it wasn’t to be. They lost their composure for part of the final 10 minutes, and that likely didn’t help.

“You go one goal down with 10 minutes to go in the Cup semifinal, all sorts of thoughts creep into your head immediately,” Collins said.

After controlling much of the match, Jesuit finds itself wondering what happened.

“We played the better game. We were the better team,” Day said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. We couldn’t finish our opportunities. We made a couple of mistakes and it cost us.”

And now, Woodlawn is one win away from capturing its first Division I title, seven years in the making. The Panthers earned two Division II titles before moving up a division in 2000-2001 season.

By Bradley Handwerger / WWL-TV.com

“Not to take anything away from Division II, but Division I is a big step up,” Woodlawn head coach Andrew Barnes said. “To get to this point is a new step for us, a new beginning. It’s wonderful for the kids.”

Jesuit had chances to take a first-half lead. Plenty of them, in fact. It missed wide in the 3rd minute. A weak shot followed a breakaway run in the 9th. Standout midfielder Patrick Mullins missed high in the 10th on a free kick 24 yards out.

All the while, Woodlawn stuck with its game plan – bunker back and take Jesuit’s shots and counter when called upon.

“Woodlawn, credit them, they had a game plan and the intensity their players brought as absolutely fantastic,” Collins said. “That’s what brought Woodlawn through in the end – the intensity they were able to keep up for the full 80 minutes.”

Again in the 13th minute, Mullins had another chance, making a run through the Panthers’ defense only to miss wide.

In the 26th, freshman Steven Cabos served up a beautiful cross on a free kick that Jake Miranda got a head on, but the shot flew high.

It was that kind of day for Jesuit. Opportunity after opportunity missed.

“This is the same game we’ve had the last four games,” Barnes said. “We’ve gone in knowing we’re going to have limited opportunities. When we get them, we have to capitalize. We’ve been solid in the back. That was the game plan. Stay solid in the back.”

The second half went much like the first, until the 70th minute, when Keller mishandled an easy ball in the box. Jesuit pushed for an equalizer it would never get.

“Hubie told us the key thing was we underestimated our opponent,” Miranda said.

Said Collins, “We played some good stuff, created some good opportunities. For that, I can’t fault my guys. We just had some lapses in concentration throughout the game. Unfortunately, that’s what cost us the goal.”

And now, the underdog moves into the final. Barnes said it’s not the first time this year that’s happened.

“The Giants won,” he said. “The beagle won (the Westminster Dog Show). And now the Panthers won.”