It’s happened to Churchill so many times — a crushing loss to a neighborhood rival. And the same script was in place Monday in the 4A/3A West Region semifinals.
But this time, the host Bulldogs discarded the past as senior Ben Plotnick passed to Thomas Langan for a goal in overtime that earned Churchill a cleansing 9-8 victory over Whitman.
The win ended a combined nine-game losing streak against Bethesda rivals Walter Johnson (five games) and Whitman (four games).
“It’s been a terrible history,” said Langan. “This is a huge win for us mentally. It takes a big weight off our shoulders.”
The weight was heavy at the end when Churchill (11-5) lost a two-goal lead in the final 2 minutes, 32 seconds of regulation. The Bulldogs had the ball with 40 seconds left but Max Vinograd made a strip that led to a fastbreak goal, junior Will Dempster passing to senior Andrew Harding who tied it for Whitman.
But Churchill junior Harris Middel won the faceoff to start overtime. Defender Philip Halls scooped the ball off the turf and moments later, Whitman (12-5) was penalized for a slash and had to play a man down. This time Churchill didn’t let the opportunity slip away as Plotnick (one goal, two assists) passed across the crease to Langan (four goals).
“That was all Plotnick,” said Langan. “The goalie was on the other side of the field.”
Whitman fought hard behind Britton Cone (eight caused turnovers, two assists) and goalie Bobby Lawrence (16 saves). But Churchill countered with strong play from Halls and goalie Daniel Cohen (12 saves).
