MILWAUKEE - When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Michael Thao slowly walked over to Green Bay Preble keeper Noah Conard and gave him a short hug.

One player after another hunched over, undid their tape and pulled off their shin guards for the last time this season.

When the traditional handshakes were done, the Hornets all came over to the fence on the east sideline at Uihlein Soccer Park. Each classmate and parent received a high-five.

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As the clock wound down in a Division 1 state semifinal matchup, Preble had reconciled its fate. Its season came to an anticlimatic end Friday with a 3-0 setback at the hands of Hamilton.

"It's awesome that we made it down here. We set this goal at the beginning of the season and it's really good that we made it," Preble senior striker Nick Hummel said.

Hamilton earned the right to meet four-time defending champion Marquette in the state title game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Hilltoppers came out on top 3-0 when the teams played earlier this season.

Bennett Pauls was the catalyst for the Chargers. He struck for a pair of second-half goals and added an assist. Zach Wilcox also scored.

Preble was never able to generate any sustained pressure. It marked just the fourth time all season the Fox River Classic Conference champions were shut out.

Sixteen games had passed since the Hornets suffered their only previous loss, a 2-1 outcome against Neenah in the eighth game of the season.

The Hornets put up a fight. Hamilton was bigger, stronger and faster at a majority of positions, however, and that was too much for them to overcome.

"We had a great season," Preble coach Chris Becker said. "Our guys worked so hard all year long. We just ran into a really good team. (Hamilton) was really sound in everything they did.They executed, and that's what it comes down to.

"We've been scrappy and we're gritty. That's why we give a lot of teams fits."

Conard, a junior, was a big reason Preble reached the state tournament. He came up big in a pair of shootout wins in sectional play.

Conard, who owned a 0.96 goals against average, was in top form again Friday. He thwarted the Chargers throughout much of the opening half.

His best save came in the opening 5 minutes against Pauls. He was wide open in the middle of the box, but Conard came out and smothered his attempted shot for a save.

Pauls was also robbed by the Preble keeper early in the second half. Conard finished with 11 saves, including a diving stop on a penalty kick by Caden Etzel at 67:15.

That was one method he used to keep Hamilton off the scoreboard.

Conard parried a free kick over the crossbar in the 15th minute. The rest of the time he relied on perfect positioning to deny the Chargers.

"That's why (Conard) is first-team all-conference. He kept us in a lot of games this year," Becker said. "Noah was there to always help clean things up. He did a great job all year. He made some great saves."

None of the goals were his fault.

Pauls just had to tap home both of his goals off perfect setups. Wilcox had all the time he needed to find an opening to open the scoring.

Hummel, the Hornets' top scorer, was rendered a nonfactor in the opening half. The Chargers controlled possession and the senior striker had limited touches.

His frustration boiled over late in the first half. After being fouled just outside the box, Hummel pushed the Hamilton defender for a yellow card.

He had a team-high 17 goals. But he was unable to sniff a quality scoring chance throughout much of the match.

That pretty much summed up how the day went for Preble.

"It just didn't bounce our way," Becker said. "This is absolutely the toughest team we played all year."


Hamilton  1  2  -  3

Green Bay Preble  0  0  -  0

First half: 1. H, Zach Wilcox (Bennett Pauls), 31:19.

Second half: 2. H, Pauls (Matt Polzer), 57:37; 3. H, Pauls (Alex Polzer), 77:28.

Saves: Preble (Noah Conard) 11; Hamilton (Grant Frohna 3, Luke Anderson 0) 3.

Records: Green Bay Preble 17-2-6; Sussex Hamilton 16-1-3.