Just 14 hours after taking a tough loss in the IHSA Class 1A State Tournament semifinals, Coal City was back out on the field at Hoffman Estates High School looking to end the program’s longest-ever postseason run on a high note.

The Coalers met Chicago Academy in Friday’s third-place game and ran away with a 6-1 win, putting an emphatic finish on what has been a banner year for the program.

“I’ve never had such a long season and I wouldn’t want it to end any other way, especially in my senior year,” forward Julian Micetich said. “Especially yesterday after the loss, it was tough. Kids were hanging their heads and just came up like, ‘We’ve never been here before. We cannot be putting our heads down now.’

“I’m just so proud of everyone.”

It was Adrian Dames that gave the Coalers (24-4) a lead with just seven seconds remaining in the first half, the team’s first goal since he scored in the opening minute of the second half in a 1-0 supersectional win Monday.

It did not take the Coalers long to score in the second, with Dane Noffsinger finding the back of the net off an assist from Carter Hollis just under three minutes after halftime – a goal which held up as the game-winner.

“I knew it was going to be hard for (Chicago Academy) to come back from that,” Noffsinger said. “Like (head coach Steve McCleary) says, it’s putting the nail in the coffin in a way.”

After Chicago Academy’s Anthony Dominguez notched a goal midway through the half to cut Coal City’s lead to 2-1, the Coalers hammered in plenty more nails.

Dylan Fatlan picked up an insurance goal with just under 20 minutes to go in the game, which was followed by goals from Micetich, Dominick Chellino and another from Noffsinger.

The win showcased both the Coalers’ depth, with five players scoring goals, as well as their defense, which has stood out throughout the season.

Thursday’s 3-0 semifinal loss to Mendota was just the second time all season Coal City had surrendered multiple goals. They responded by allowing one goal, just the 14th to get behind goalkeeper Carter Nicholson in 28 games in 2025.

“They do a really good job of taking the ball out of the air and watching those through balls,” Nicholson said of his defense. “I love playing with them.”

Senior defender Aiden Kenney has helped anchor that defensive unit throughout the season.

He said the work the team had put in through the offseason helped them grow on the defensive side, going from 1.3 goals per game allowed last season to 0.5 this season with almost entirely the same roster.

“A bunch of us were on travel teams, and we all met up during the summer to play soccer,” he said. “I think that helped build our team chemistry and develop our skills.”

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Coal City's Julian Micetich celebrates after scoring as Chicago Academy players look away Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, during their Class 1A state third place game at Hoffman Estates High School. (Mark Busch)

These final two games at state also served as a great send-off to the team’s 12-player senior class.

After winning only eight games combined in their freshman and sophomore years, the group led the program to a record of 41-11-1 over their final two seasons and got the program its first regional and sectional titles this season.

While this season has undoubtedly been the best for the program, McCleary said he hopes it is just the beginning of a strong era for Coal City soccer.

“We’ve got some young guys that are ready to play, and these seniors have led the way showing them how to act, how to play, how to practice, how to prepare,” McCleary said. “We hope that they can keep this things going and we can be competitive again next year.”

Hollis was the team’s leading scorer as a sophomore this season and will be part of a strong returning class that also includes Nicholson, Fatlan and Chellino. They will also get reinforcements from a JV team that went 12-0-2 this season.

“Playing with such a large and experienced group of players has helped me grow as a player and mature as a person overall, and losing them is going to hurt a lot,” Hollis said. “I’m just looking forward to hopefully growing as a team with the new JV players that are coming up and try to continue our run as a program.”