The Whitman boys soccer team accomplished much of which it set out to do Tuesday against neighborhood rival Churchill. The Vikings controlled the midfield, possessed the ball and limited Churchill’schances. But those were just subscripts in their 3-1 loss.
“In high school soccer, it’s all about scoring goals and winning games,” Whitman coach Dave Greene said. “In three days nobody’s going to remember that we possessed the ball. They’re just going to remember the final score.”
Those in attendance at Churchill Tuesday night will likely remember the go-ahead goal, senior Justin Arena’s spectacular mid-air volley of junior Zach Kabelac’s corner kick. Arena, camped on the right side of the box, met the ball with his foot at chest level and drove it across the box inside the left post for his sixth tally this season.
Arena’s score gave Churchill a 2-1 lead in the 47th minute. The Bulldogs iced it in the 75th minute with another impressive tally, senior David Klein finding sophomore Kevin Dansky open in the box. Whitman keeper, senior Teddy Stevens (five saves) had little chance on either one.
“We got stuck a lot on defense, but we counterattacked well,” said Churchill junior Colon Haggerty, who set up the Bulldogs’ first goal with a free kick from midfield that junior Neil Vranis headed for a 1-0 lead.
Whitman (7-3) tied it as junior John Snyder snuck a shot inside the top left corner after Churchill failed to clear Will Verinigor’s throw-in. But it would be all the Vikings could muster against a Churchill defense led by Haggerty, sophomore back Max Rutherford and senior goalie Matt McElroy (four saves).
“Sixty-five to seventy percent of the game was their’s. We didn’t play very well,” Churchill coach Dave Kelley said, whose team improved to 6-2-1. “At the end we finally played with some discipline and the goals come easy.”
Kicking it around
» Whitman will play Friday at New Jersey national private school powerhouse St. Benedicts. According to Whitman coach Dave Greene, St. Benedicts has never lost to a public school squad.
» Churchill’s win avenged a 4-1 loss to Whitman last season.
