(Nov. 1, 2013) Senior Nick White scored three goals to lead the Stephen Decatur boys’ soccer team to a 5-1 victory over the Northeast (AA) Eagles in the semifinal round of Section I of the 3A South Regional tournament.
Six minutes into Tuesday’s game in Berlin, White dribbled through several Eagles and scored to put Decatur on the board. About two minutes later, freshman Alton Walker volleyed the ball into an open goal. The second-seeded Seahawks had a 2-0 advantage going into the halftime break on their home field.
“I thought we played well the first 10-15 minutes,” said Decatur Coach Jamie Greenwood. “Then we went up 2-0 and we got lazy and complacent.”
White netted a shot 1:15 into the second half. He scored his third goal of the game less than two minutes later.
Senior David Bernal-Clark tallied the Seahawks’ fifth goal 17 minutes into the half and Decatur increased it lead, 5-0.
Northeast, the No. 3 seed, logged its lone goal with just over 13 minutes remaining in the contest.
Decatur senior goalie Logan Thumma stopped eight Eagles’ shots.
“We played well in the beginning of each half,” Greenwood said. “We worked the ball around, we worked off the ball, we made good passes and we ran our set pieces the way they’re supposed to be run.”
Decatur (11-3) will play the top seeded Northern Patriots (12-0) of Calvert County in the Section I finals, Friday, Nov. 1 in Owings, Md.
“We need to get out to an early lead and limit their chances to score,” Greenwood said. “And, we need to play 80 minutes.”
The winner will advance to the 3A South Regional championship game, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 5.
