Varsity Boys soccer defeated the Urbana Eagles 1-0 in the Maryland 4A State championship game, Nov 20, in the team’s second state title appearance and victory since 2000.

The boys started strong offensively and generated several scoring chances early. Ten minutes in, midfielder Sam Lilek freed himself from defenders and ripped a shot just outside of the penalty box that landed just wide of the goal and bounced off of the post.

For the remainder of the half, the teams struggled to possess the ball with both sides playing tough defense. Defenders Aaron May and Dominick Yin led the Viking back side, which has allowed only three goals this postseason.

With ten minutes remaining in the first half, the Vikes nearly scored again, this time with a shot from attacker Jonny Mehrez that Urbana’s goalie blocked with a spectacular jumping save.

The teams entered halftime tied 0-0 and continued to battle for possession early in the second half. Neither group could control the ball long enough to develop an offensive chance.

But, with 21 minutes left in the game, Urbana had an opportunity at a wide open goal after an attacker crossed the ball to the middle while the Viking defense was out of position. Fortunately for the Vikes, no one was there to finish the play.

The boys tried to break through the Urbana defense several times, but the Eagles congested the midfield and prevented any chances.

Urbana had another solid chance at scoring, but goalie Zack Khalifa came through with a clutch save that kept the game knotted with only eight minutes left in the game.

With only three minutes remaining, the Vikes put together a final offensive push. Lilek had another opportunity only a few yards from the goal, but Urbana’s goalie stopped the shot.

After regulation, the teams remained tied 0-0, but five minutes into the overtime period, the Vikings ended the game with a goal from Mehrez. Lilek carried the ball downfield and dished it off to Mehrez on the left side of the goal. He took another touch and blasted the ball into the back of the net.

The team stormed the field and rushed towards the fans in celebration of the championship victory. After a pep rally at the end of school, Whitman had a huge fan turnout, well over double the size of that of Urbana.

The win marks an end to a spectacular season that almost no one was expecting: the team took the twelfth playoff seed all the way to States an finished their season with a final record of 12-5-2.