Proctor Bounces Whitcomb

By Laurie-Jean B. Gauthier

The 14^th seeded Whitcomb Hornet boys (4-10) traveled to Proctor to face the third seeded Phantoms (9-3-2) in soccer playoff action on Tuesday, Oct. 23 and it was a disappointing finish for the Hornets. The Hornets, however, gave their hosts "something to worry about" as Whitcomb took the lead at the 16:23 mark of the first half and carried it all the way through the break and into the second half.

When a backfield clearing orbit made its way all the way past the Proctor defense and to the top of the 18, Proctor goalie Brennan Watkins came out to grab the bouncing orb, but before he could get to it, Hornet Clemens Garve kneed the rubber up and over Watkins’ head and into the strings for the start of an upset bid. Unfortunately, the Phantoms went right to work upon returning from the break and tied it up just 11 minutes in, when freshman Keagan McDonnell deposited the ball from just outside the penalty box.

Unlike the first half, where Proctor was not able to clear the strings, the Phantoms would strike two more times in quick succession to take a 3-1 lead early on. A deposit into the upper-left corner by Josh Taranovich off a McDonnell feed followed, and less than 10 minutes after their first deposit, an Adam Falco shot went in at 20:40, burying Whitcomb. Proctor added one more nail to the coffin of the Hornets, with less than six minutes remaining, when McDonnell scored the final Phantom goal of the game for the 4-1 playoff outing victory. Proctor now faces the sixth seeded Arlington Eagles in the quarter-finals.

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