photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin sophomore forward Jake Broers dribbles the ball in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.

With eight minutes left, Classical School of Wichita scored a game-tying goal against Baldwin in the 4-1A boys soccer semifinal match at Baker University, making it a 1-1 game.

When it happened, there wasn’t a doubt in coach Ryan Cox’s mind that his Bulldogs were going to get it done. Whether it was in regulation or overtime, Cox knew that Baldwin was going to make something happen.

That’s when senior defender Ethan Smasal dribbled the ball up the left side of the field, got an angle to pass the ball to the middle of the goal area and knocked the ball off a Saints defender and into the goal, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

“I knew we had it in us,” Cox said. “We had plenty of time, whether it was in regulation or overtime. We were going to get after it.”

The Bulldogs held on for another six minutes, leaving the Baker soccer field with a win and a date with Rose Hill in the 4-1A state championship game on Saturday.

“This is what we’ve done all year,” Cox said. “We’ve always found a way to win. I’ve coached these guys since they were little kids in a lot of different sports, and that’s just their mentality — it’s to just keep fighting until the final bell. That’s what they did tonight.”

Baldwin came into the game in familiar territory. In 2024, the Bulldogs played Trinity Academy on the same field in the semifinal round. That time, the Bulldogs lost 3-1, leaving them to finish their season in the third-place game in Wichita.

Coming from that experience a season ago gave the Bulldogs something extra to push for, and it made a difference.

“We’d be lying if we said that last year’s game wasn’t in the back of our heads,” senior midfielder Cooper Carr said. “Going into this game, we knew what it took, not only to get here but to get over the hump and get to the state championship game.”

Wednesday’s game against Classical School of Wichita was a physical, scrappy match from the start. The Bulldogs were aggressive offensively early on, something Cox attributes to the depth of the team.

“We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of minutes for us throughout the year,” Cox said. “We didn’t use a lot of subs tonight but there are a lot of guys who I can put in for five minutes, 50 minutes and they’re going to do the same job as the starters. The depth allows us to keep going, like we did tonight.”

Senior defender Leo Schoenberger said the team’s experience together has helped prepare the Bulldogs for these moments. Everyone has played so much soccer together that they’ve seen just about every situation possible and can handle it as a group.

“Growing up in a small town like Baldwin, these guys that you play with, you grow up with,” Carr added. “Getting to these moments, we’re just so grateful to be here.”

Baldwin’s assertive offensive start led to two close misses at the 10- and 15-minute marks, but neither were able to end in goals. But the Bulldogs kept pushing, and eventually, senior forward Cooper Carr brought the ball up the field along the right side before passing it inside to sophomore forward Taiven Hansen, who put the ball in the goal on a short shot.

Hansen’s goal was the only one of the opening half, and the first 30 minutes of the second half remained scoreless. Carr had a couple near-goals in the middle of the field, but couldn’t get the shot off.

Defensively, it was a dominant performance. The defense didn’t allow a goal for the first 72 minutes of the game, and the Saints weren’t presented with many opportunities to get shots on goal. The defense broke passes up in the midfield and made it difficult for the Saints to operate in the middle of the field.

Eventually, the defense faltered. The Saints connected on a deep pass that allowed forward Simon Graham to have a shot at the goal with only Baldwin junior goalkeeper Cason Dick in the way. Graham’s shot went in, tying the game with 8:20 on the clock.

Baldwin kept the heat and pressure up, pushing the ball upfield along the edges and looking for passes into the middle where Carr and others were at. Less than two minutes after the game-tying goal, Smasal got his game-winning goal off and in the net.

“There was never a moment of panic, there was never a moment of like, ‘We’ve got to do something now,'” Smasal said. “We just got it done. We played our cards right and got the win.”

The Bulldogs overcame some adversity throughout the year, and the path to the state semifinal wasn’t always clear for the team. But, with a strong bond, the Bulldogs were able to come together and win when it mattered. When the team needed something to happen, the Bulldogs got it done.

“We’ve been playing so well together, and everyone loves each other on the team,” Smasal said. “Recently, we’ve been playing as world-beaters. We can go out there and go toe-to-toe with anyone. We’re having fun, and we love playing soccer together.”

Baldwin played some keep-away and bled the clock for the final minutes, holding the lead for the final horn, which brought the bench and fans onto the field to celebrate.

Winning the semifinal game was an important step in completing Baldwin’s season-long accomplishments. But it isn’t over yet. The senior-heavy team has one final game together to play. A win over Spring Hill in the championship would mean the 14 seniors would get to ride off into the sunset of their Baldwin careers at the top of the mountain. With the Bulldogs having played together for many years both during and before their time at Baldwin, the game holds a lot of meaning.

“I love these guys so much, I’ve been playing with them forever,” Schoenberger said. “We’ve lost together, we’ve won together. It would be remarkable to pull off a state championship together. I’m really confident, and I definitely think we can do it.”

The state championship game will be at Scheels Stryker Complex in Wichita on Saturday at 7 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin senior defender Leo Schoenberger boxes out to head the ball in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin senior midfielder Camden Cox battles for the ball in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin senior defender Ethan Smasal gets a free kick in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin sophomore forward Taiven Hansen takes the ball away from the Bulldogs’ net in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Baldwin senior midfielder Cooper Carr runs to get the ball in a 2-1 win over Classical School of Wichita in the 4-1A state semifinal game at Baker University on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Baldwin.