Westminster Christian bows out

The Westminster Christian boys soccer team was in an enviable position just two minutes into Saturday's Class 1A Lisle sectional semifinal.

The Warriors had just taken a 1-goal lead against Latin on a direct kick from junior Josh Beachler, who tallied his 41st goal of the season.

Moreover, Latin was playing with backup goalkeeper Justin Kaplan, a junior midfielder filling in for injured starter Theo Atkinson, who broke his hand in regional play.

However, the Warriors weren't able to make use of either advantage, due mainly to the relentless attack of the surging Romans, who rallied for a pair of first-half goals and held on through a scoreless second half for a 2-1 victory.

Latin (16-7-1) advances to face Lisle for the sectional title Tuesday at 4 p.m.

“They had a lot of talent up and down,” Westminster Christian senior Steven Hoeflich said. “ They didn't have any weak spots. It came down to the fact they were better at executing than we were.”

Latin began to dominate possession in the midfield and put shots on goal on three straight possessions, cashing in on the third chance when Paul Favia's cross was one-timed by Samuel Austin past keeper Ian Dutcher for the equalizer with 23:45 left in the first half.

The Romans took the lead on a set play with 12:33 remaining before halftime. Defender Robert Hunter's throw-in was on a rope. Senior midfielder Benjamin Quazzo, crouched at the near side of the box, flicked the throw-in over Dutcher to teammate Ian Spear, who had only to knock the ball into the open net for the go-ahead goal.

Latin kept the pressure on in the second half, which kept the Warriors from pressuring Kaplan more effectively. Though disappointed, Westminster Christian pointed to its second straight regional title as the silver lining.

“You can't be prouder of a bunch of guys than this,” Warriors coach Mike Richardson said. “We didn't think we'd even get half as far as we did. The regional (title) was nice, and we would have liked to have gone as far as we could have. Ultimately, they were the better team today.”