HOLTON — Whitehall coach Dillon McCarthy, knowing Kent City played an attacking style of soccer, anticipated his team might give up an early goal to the Eagles in Tuesday's regional semifinal game. The key in his mind would be how his team responded to it.
Consider that box checked, as Whitehall answered that early goal less than three minutes later and kept the pressure on the rest of the way, scoring a 4-1 victory - the team's first regional win since the 2013 team that won the regional title.
With the win, Whitehall advanced to face top-ranked Elk Rapids in the regional finals Thursday in Clare. The Elks beat Freeland 3-0 in the other semifinal and have not surrendered a goal since Sept. 12.
Kent City got on the board first when Liam Rath fired an impressive shot to the near post less than five minutes after kickoff. Whitehall also had early opportunities before the Eagles were able to score first.
The Vikings' Samuel Chona made sure that lead didn't last long. Just moments later, he gathered a loose ball, created space between a few Kent City defenders, and sent a great shot to the right post, evening the score.
"I was glad to get it (to a 1-1 tie)," McCarthy said. "Then we made some adjustments and we started seeing some success. We knew right off the bat, they scored, and we had to respond, and then we got that response. It was a war of attrition."
The game stayed tied at 1 through the first half, thanks in large part to the Eagles' keeper making a great play to cut off Kyle Jud on his way to what would've been the go-ahead goal with 5:49 left. Just three minutes into the second half, though, Isaac O'Boyle channeled his wrestling background to help put the Vikings on top, crashing to the net on a long free kick by Chandler Culp and managing to get it over the line while colliding with an Eagle.
Whitehall's Isaac O'Boyle (left) celebrates after scoring a goal during Tuesday's regional semifinal game against Kent City. Juan Alonso arrives to celebrate with O'Boyle. Whitehall won, 4-1.
"it's a rare breed to have a wrestling/soccer combo," McCarthy said. "That was my kind of combination. I looked at Isaac and said, 'Run through the ball. You don't have to kick it. You're not going to score a goal, but you're a big kid. Run through it.' That's the ugly goal that Isaac O'Boyle always scores. I'm not going to ask him to score from 30 (yards) out with his right foot. He's a lefty, and he plays like a wrestler."
The Vikings dominated the entire second half, playing a patient yet aggressive style to control possession. Players used the entirety of the field to maintain the ball, and when an opening emerged, they didn't hesitate to attack.
"I do feel like my group - we are pretty young and pretty inexperienced - they can always play like that when they settle in and get that confidence," McCarthy said. "When they got that lead, I think it really showed that we don't have to go forward. Let's swing the ball through our back line. Look at all of this space. When we were able to do that, not only was it shaving some time off the clock, but it allowed our offense to do what we want them to do.
"For my younger kids, it's like, you see how we were playing reserved, yet we generated plenty of offense. That's the point. If we can move the ball sideline to sideline, and be patient (about) when to attack forward, we will continue to generate chances and hopefully hold the ball longer than our opponent."
The Vikings cashed in on two more of those chances later in the half, one each by Davi Santana and Greyson Konecny. McCarthy praised both his players for taking advantage of their opportunities, noting Santana only played about 10 minutes of the game and Konecny only moved into the starting lineup last week.
"I love how these kids are responding," McCarthy said. "Whether they're starting or not starting, they all have a role that's all-important. They're finally seeing that come to fruition."
Whitehall, anticipating a potential regional matchup with Elk Rapids, scrimmaged the Elks in the week between the regular season and district tournament. That should, McCarthy hopes, blunt any potential intimidation factor. A philosophy of embracing the moment will serve the Vikes well as they pursue an upset.
"The beautiful thing about this game is, let's show up and see who can play the best 80 (minutes)," McCarthy said. "We'll go back to work tomorrow, and hopefully we can do that."
