Game MPSSAA Class 4A Boys Soccer States of round Round 2

Photo courtesy of Whitman boys' soccer Instagram. Whitman is the last program standing in Montgomery County boys’ soccer. Powerhouses like Blair and Northwest have been dealt with and knocked out, and so the Vikings remain the county’s lone representatives. Against a Parkdale team that barely pulled out a victory over No. 8-seed Dulaney, Whitman left no doubt in the state semifinal, taking down the Panthers Saturday, 4-0. Whitman’s attack was surging from the get-go, as an initial shot and corner kick were unleashed in the first 10 minutes of play. On that corner kick, a header pinged from the back post was rerouted to the center of the goal, where Alex Watkins finished it off for a point-blank score. The Vikings’ back line was rock solid, and Parkdale’s offense continuously failed to play to the flanks. This allowed Whitman to condense its defense, resulting in multiple blocks. But Parkdale continued pushing, and with 29 minutes left to play in the opening half, a perfectly placed long ball found the feet of a Panthers winger. But the ensuing shot, which was uncontested by the beaten Whitman back line, instead found the stomach of Vikings goalkeeper Ziggy Powell to keep them ahead. And just six minutes later, Whitman notched another goal in the opposite direction. A breakaway ball for Jake Le Hir was slidetackled at the last second by a Panthers defender. But Parkdale’s goalkeeper, who had come out of the net to contest the shot, was left out of position. The only one left standing was Le Hir, who tapped the ball into the back of the net, giving Whitman a 2-0 lead. The Panthers couldn’t let the game get away from them too quickly, and blitzed an all-out attack, resulting in a free kick roughly 20 yards out from the goal. But just as an attempt from earlier had been, Whitman’s defense blocked away the shot. Parkdale then roared back with another opportunity, but a lefty shot that didn’t get much air on it traveled safely into the hands of Powell. But the Vikings only found success on their own attacking end. In the 32nd minute, a through ball from the left flank found the feet of Endric Lotsch, who was streaking through the middle of the field. Positioning himself well so as to shield off the hounding Parkdale defender, Lotsch rocketed the ball into the left side of the goal while falling to his right. The Vikings took the 3-0 lead into the half. Parkdale went all-in on attack in the second half out of necessity, while Whitman was content to play compact defense. There were some extremely close calls, including a cross into the box for a header that deflected straight off the crossbar. But through a plethora of corners and shots that came nearly 25 yards out or more, the Panthers simply couldn’t hit paydirt. Instead, it was Whitman that positively capped off the match and gave itself momentum heading into the state title game with an 80th minute score. It was Lotsch again who scored, receiving a through ball off an intercepted pass and skying a ball over the outstretched fingers of Parkdale’s goalkeeper for the goal. The Vikings are now set to face off against No. 2-seed Leonardtown in the championship game.