Millard West Wildcats

Dingledine's hat trick lifts Spartans

BY BRENT C. WAGNER / Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, May 13, 2007

OMAHA — Raymond Dingledine marched onto the field and gave A.J. Dingledine a bear hug Saturday.

Raymond Dingledine rarely misses a Lincoln East boys soccer game, and wishes his wife was still alive to watch the talented grandkids. 

Raymond would have been proud regardless, but A.J.¹s three-goal game — in a state tournament match nonetheless — sure had him  beaming.

The Spartans beat Millard West 3-2 in the opening round of the Class A boys state tournament.

Now, Lincoln East gets another game against Millard South, in Monday¹s 6 p.m. semifinal. It¹s a rematch of last year¹s state championship game, when Lincoln East won its second straight championship. 

Kearney defeated Lincoln Southwest 3-1 in another first-round game, and the Bearcats will play top-ranked Millard North in the other semifinal.

Millard West led Lincoln East 1-0 after Aaron Galley scored 33 minutes into the game. But then Lincoln East — well, mostly Dingledine — took over.

Dingledine scored three goals in only eight minutes to put the Spartans in control early in the second half. Matt Sifers scored for the Wildcats with five minutes left, but they never threatened at the finish. 

Dingledine has scored his share of goals in a four-year varsity career, but he¹s never scored three goals that quickly. 

The Spartan senior¹s first goal came two minutes into the second half, when he punched one in on a scramble at the net. Two minutes later, Dingledine headed in a ball over the outstretched arms of the goaltender, off of Jim Ebke¹s throw-in.

Dingledine capped his day with a goal that people were drooling over, when his bicycle kick gave the Spartans a 3-1 lead. 

His 23 goals this season lead the state, and Dingledine¹s performance was the talk of the second day of the tournament.

³I have never seen a more beautifully executed goal in a state tournament than the bike A.J. delivered from 8 yards out,² East coach Jeff Hoham said. ³He placed it in the upper 90 with finesse. I challenge anybody to do that under the circumstances — it¹s amazing.² 

While many fans at Morrison Stadium were seeing Dingledine for the first time, East senior Taylor Stacy has had a front-row seat for a while.

³To see him do something like that is not a shock to me anymore — it¹s expected,² Stacy said. ³It¹s kind of funny. He knows he can do that, and we know we can set him up. It¹s just what he does — and I love to see him score.² 

Hoham says there was a passionate halftime meeting after Millard West was able to dictate play for much of the first half. In the second half, everybody played better, Hoham said.

³All three goals were a result of set pieces,² Hoham said. ³A.J. finished them, but if those balls were not put right there by (Ebke and Brandon Videtich) there aren¹t three goals.² 

Dingledine passed the praise on to guys like Ebke, saying he was just in the right place at the right time when he scored.

You can be in the right place once in a state tournament game. Three goals, however, that¹s something special. 

³A.J. took this team on his back at halftime,² Hoham said. ³He¹s a wonderful role model for all of us.