Warriors bow out

Rain mixed with tears as the Westminster Christian boys soccer team exited the soggy, mud-covered Hampshire soccer field Monday night after a tough 3-0 Class A sectional final loss to No. 1-seeded Winnebago.

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you watch six senior teammates depart for one final time.

But perhaps what the Warriors forgot for just that moment is that they will forever be remembered in the record books at Westminster Christian as the first team in program history to ever appear in a sectional final.

Winnebago moves on to the Class A Elite Eight at North Central College in Naperville on Friday.

"I'm disappointed that it had to end," said senior forward and Warrior goal leader Tyler Beachler (98 career goals) who played Monday despite injury. "I guess if it had to end, I couldn't have asked for more than this from our team."

Watching them battle a 21-2-3 Winnebago roster whose only losses came against Class AA teams for 80 minutes, it was made abundantly clear that the Warriors (13-10-3) deserved to be there.

The game got off to a quick start as Winnebago fired off its first shot of the game just 10 seconds into play. Westminster goalkeeper Ethan Flickinger was there to make the stop.

Flickinger combined with a very tight Warrior defense anchored by junior Dan Graves and helped by Solomon Post, Pierce Mckenna, Jon Sanders and Jon Reid to keep the Indians' offense at bay until the 14 minute when Logan Fye found leading scorer Andy Huftalin in an empty backfield.

Following a Westminster drive, Fye connected with Huftalin, who took one dribble before drilling a shot into the center of the net from about 10-yards out.

Having out-shot the Warriors 10-2 in the first half, Winnebago would score a second time before the break.

With 25 seconds left to play in the first, Huftalin fired off a shot from the right sideline that ricocheted off the back of a Warrior defender and past the hands of a diving Flickinger (13 saves).

One of the Warriors' 2 shots on goal came with a little under three minutes remaining in the first. Ryan Beachler dished off a pass to Jeff Marshall who booted an offering toward the Winnebago net, but keeper Nick Huftalin (7 saves) was there to make a great stop.

Westminster didn't quit, coming out in the second half only to triple its first-half scoring efforts.

Cory Hodge was a part of nearly every scoring drive while Tyler Beachler, Ryan Beachler, Graves and Ben Carani would all attempt second half shots. They simply couldn't convert.

"Toward the end, the guys really started playing the ball through and creating chances," said Westminster coach Josh Guge. "Winnebago was fast and more skilled than us so that was what we needed to do."

Winnebago would tack on an insurance goal in the 55th minute and hold on for the shutout.

Logan Engelkes slipped past three Warrior defenders before pounding a knock past Flickinger. In celebration, Engelkes ran up the sidelines flashing a superman shirt to the crowd.

"Winnebago was a great team," said Guge. "I told our guys they've got nothing to hang their heads about. I'm very proud of every single one of them."

Despite the loss, Westminster did hold a team which has averaged 5 goals a game to just three scores.

"We gave them a game and I am proud of that," said Graves. "Everybody gave their best effort, stepped it up and left it all out here on the field."

Said Beachler: We worked our butts off, and you can't ask for more than that. "Just being here was a huge accomplishment for us and for the program."