Boys soccer: Wheaton Academy has too much firepower for Elk Grove

Fourth-seeded Wheaton Academy enjoyed an exceptional night of soccer with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over No. 14 seed and regional host Elk Grove at Robert E. Haskell Stadium on Tuesday.

Goals from Seamus Kilgallon and Simon Spivey in the first quarter-hour showed clear intent on behalf of the Warriors (16-1-3), whose diligent and creative play from the opening whistle helped put the Grens (4-13-1) on their heels promptly.

"Coming in as the higher seed than Elk Grove meant nothing to any of us," said Wheaton Academy senior Elias McCloud, who had a hand in 3 goals and provided plenty of pace up top. "It's the playoffs, and we all knew how important it was to go out and get the job done. Of course, scoring that early goal, then coming back with another helped get us going in the right direction."

Elk Grove knew to expect a battle, but Wheaton Academy simply had too much ammo.

"Our plan was to stay in close with them as long as we could so we could build some confidence," said Elk Grove captain Markos Christoforou, who is also a two-time state qualifier in tennis. "But that goal we conceded in the first few minutes really got to us, and with all the talent and speed that they have, it was just a little too much for us today."

Kilgallon ran onto a rebound, which had spilled back into the box after Grens keeper Jesus Gonzalez turned away an Ethan Stoneman shot, to open the scoring at four minutes. Seven minutes later, Gonzalez was in full extension but still unable to get a glove Spivey's dipping left-footed which strike.

"We've been working in training on scoring off of rebounds, and today we finally finished one of those, and what a perfect time to do so. And our other four 4 goals all came about after some terrific individual play from our guys," said Warriors coach Jeff Brooke, whose club will face No. 5 seed Conant (12-7-0) on Saturday for the regional title.

The hosts went into the break chasing 3 goals after Stoneham finished a lovely helper from Isaac Anthony in the 23rd minute.

"We had to sit in a little bit today, and play with just one forward because we were missing four starters, which forced us to move a few guys around a little bit," said Elk Grove coach Rob Shepard. "And to Wheaton's credit, they took advantage of us today and richly deserved this win."

Elk Grove came alive after intermission. Led by Memo Contreras, Oscar Gonzalez Ivan Perez and Christoforou, the Grens had some quality moments going forward - only to be stopped by the Warriors' sturdy backline led by Riley Kearney.

"This is our 13th shutout of the season, so obviously, it all starts in the back for us, which is how you win games at this time of the season," said McCloud, whose low serve on a corner saw Callum Callum redirect into the back of the net.

The Warriors put some icing on their cake with a brilliant finish in the 56th minute when a nifty heel flick from McCloud put Grayson Harris through.

"I am really proud of my teammates because we didn't hang our heads when we went down, and how we played hard for 80 minutes," said Christoforou. "It says a lot about the character of this team, and how much pride we have also."