Boys soccer drops season opener 1–0 to DeMatha

By Diego Elorza

The boys soccer team (0–1) suffered a tough loss to the DeMatha Stags (1–0) in their season opener on Saturday night. 

The game started off evenly matched, with both teams battling in the midfield and struggling to get the action going in the box. The Vikes tried to play through balls behind the Stags’ defense but were unsuccessful. At around the 15th minute mark, the Stags struck gold on a corner kick that flew over the Vikes back line and found a Stags attacker who was unmarked. With the Vikes facing an early one goal deficit, their defense locked in and continued to play physically. Unfortunately, the Stags defense came to play as well, and they were able to keep their one goal lead as the first half came to an end.

Coming out of the break, the Vikes knew that they needed an offensive boost, but DeMatha’s keeper made sure to shut that down immediately. Although the Vikes kept possession of the ball for most of the game, the Stags were resilient on defense, barely giving Whitman any quality scoring opportunities.

The Vikes will look to put one in the win column for the first time in 2022 next Saturday, as they host the Saint Benedict’s Prep Gray Bees (1–0). The Bees are ranked second in the country and will be a tough test for the Vikes.