After the No. 13 St. Thomas More got warmed up, the No. 20 Sulphur Golden Tors (8-14-1) found it tough to put a stop to the Cougars attack in a 5-1 Division I bi-district loss on the road in Lafayette.

The first 12 minutes of the game, both teams were figuring out how the game would go. Then STM (9-5-1) found an offensive burst starting in the 13th minute. After a throw from St. Thomas More’s Tyler Garber, Alex Stringer turned and put a solid shot in the back of the net for the Cougars first goal of the game.

Less than a minute later, Stinger found the net again, this time off a pass from Josh Pontiff to extend the lead to 2-0.

The STM offense never let up and Garber put the ball past a diving the Tors’ keeper Cole Gunter from 32-yards out to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead in the 16th minute.

“They were a lot quicker than I expected,” said Sulphur head coach Walter Oglesby. “They reacted to the ball very well and we just were kind of sitting back on our heels. I think they had their confidence and beat us to the ball too many times.”

 With a 4-0 lead after adding a goal by Christopher Cook in the 27th minute, the Cougars used some hustle for their last goal of the night. Brody Broussard took a shot from only 12-yards out and Gunter was able to stop the ball from going into the net. Gunter lost the handle on the ball and Julien Edwards was there for the clean up goal.

The Tors never gave up and was able to prevent the shutout. Brent Manuel beat his defender and took the ball down the field and put the ball past the STM keeper from nine-yards out for Sulphur’s only goal of the game during stoppage time in the first half.

“He was able to beat the guy and get it down the sideline then cut in and hit the back post like he should,” said Oglesby on Manuel’s goal. “He got the goal and worked hard on it. If we would have worked hard like that on everything every time, we might have gotten a few more.”

Manuel’s goal was one of the few scoring chances the Tors had in the game.  Colby Richard had beaten a defender in the first half and was heading downfield, but STM’s keeper Dylan Robideaux came out and ended the threat.

Saturday was the last game for 11 Tor seniors: Kai Ackely, Matt Stewart, Chris Benton, Ryan Smith, Anthony Fredrick, Brandon Kieffer, Kendon Phillips, Adam Plauche, Thiem Newell, Matthew Towle, and Cole Gunter.

Division I
Bi-district results
No. 1 Jesuit 6, No. 32 W. Jefferson 0; No. 17 Baton Rouge 2, No. 16 C. Lafourche 0; No. 9 E. Ascension 2, No. 24 Carenro 1; No. 8 Fountainebleau 1, No. 25 Grace King 0; No. 5 Bro. Martin 4, No. 28 Terrebone 0; No. 12 Caddo Magnet 2, No. 21 Rummel 1; No. 13 STM 2, No. 20 Sulphur 1; No. 4 Dutchtown 4, No. 29 Thibodaux 1; No. 3 St. Paul’s 9, No. 30 S. Lafourche 0; No. 14 Mandeville 3, No. 19 Byrd 0; No 11 Acadiana 3, No 22 W. Monroe 1; No. 6 Lafayette 7, No 27 Zachary 0; No 1 NISH 4, No 26 Pineville 1; No 10 Catholic-BR 4, No 23 Bonnabel 1; No 15 Northshore 4, No 18 St. Amant 0; No 2 Capt. Shreve 6, No 31 Ouachita 1