WHITEHALL — Whitehall knew it might take some lumps early in the season, but coach Dillon McCarthy is keeping his eye on the long view. And despite Friday's 3-1 defeat to Mona Shores, the long view showed a lot of signs of being positive.
One of the biggest was junior keeper Alex Winczewski, who played his first varsity game and looked up to the task. He made an outstanding save on a point-blank shot from Shores' Chauncey Browley which came off a corner kick in the first half, keeping the game scoreless at the break.
"That keeper just played out of his mind," McCarthy said. "That's his first varsity game, and he saved things a typical high school kid wouldn't save if he'd never played soccer. Hats off to him. He just earned himself a varsity spot."
He appeared on course to earn his first varsity victory, too, when the Vikings (0-2) kept Shores scoreless for another 20 minutes to start the second half and Carter Burrous delivered a beautiful shot to score the game's first goal with 18:28 to play. That goal capped a long stretch of the second half in which Whitehall, which spent much of the first half fending off an aggressive Mona Shores attack, was able to sustain a counter-punch.
Unfortunately for Whitehall, that goal "woke something up in (Shores)," McCarthy said, and the Sailors, a proud big-school program almost immediately stormed back. Within 45 seconds, Shores crashed the net for what appeared to be a goal off a free kick before it was waved off; officials ruled Winczewski had possession of the ball before it was knocked loose by a Sailor. A few minutes later, Shores got on the board for real, and only 90 seconds after that, Andrew Bean launched a perfect corner kick that curved around everybody and into the net untouched for the go-ahead score.
"That was a heck of a shot from No. 13 from the corner," McCarthy said. "That happens sometimes. I hope it doesn't happen next time."
The Sailors pushed in an insurance goal with 5:29 to play. Whitehall put some pressure on the Shores defense down the stretch, but could not cut into the lead.
Whitehall's Javi LeBlanc (right) grapples with Mona Shores' Zach Lissanske for the ball during Friday's game at Whitehall. LeBlanc, teammate Keegan Frees and keeper Alex Winczewski led a solid defensive effort in the Vikings' 3-1 defeat.
McCarthy was pleased, though, with the effort of his defensive unit - not just Winczewski, but also veteran stars Keegan Frees and Javi LeBlanc, who made some big plays in the Vikings' end.
"I hope (people) saw Keegan Frees out there flying around, winning every header, contesting everything," McCarthy said. "Javi LeBlanc is a really good senior as an outside back, who has a high motor and gives us an offensive threat too. We've got a lot to work on and piece some things together, but I'm proud of them."
Both are capable offensive players as well, and their two-way abilities should give opponents a lot to think about as they put together game plans later in the season.
So too, hopefully, will a gaggle of underclassmen that make up the bulk of the Whitehall roster. There are only four seniors and three juniors on the team, meaning the Vikings have a lot to look forward to - and a lot of work to do.
"Every day when we work, we work for that idea that in October, we'll have our lungs under us," McCarthy said. "We'll be in the best shape we can be, and we'll be playing our best soccer. A lot to learn from this, but it was also a good outing.
"Every game, we'll get better. We'll take some on the chin. We intentionally scheduled tough competition in non-conference to prepare us for that conference run."
