WHS Boys Soccer Edged in Tourney, 3-2
The Winthrop High boys soccer team reached the end of the line in their Journey to the Tourney last Wednesday in Holbrook with a hard-fought, 3-2 loss to Rockland in a Round-of-16 contest in the Division 4 state soccer tournament.
Both the Vikings, the 14th seed in D-4, and the Bulldogs, the #3 seed, had advanced to their Sweet 16 matchup thanks to opening-round victories. Winthrop blasted Bishop Connolly, 8-3, while Rockland topped Advanced Math, 4-0.
The Vikings drew first blood, thanks to a goal by the Vikings’ leading scorer,
Gustav Hemmingsen, who scored on a penalty kick.
However, the Bulldogs responded with a trio of unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead at the intermission.
Winthrop refused to give up and made things interesting when Jeronimo Jimenez reached the back of the Rockland net with a blast from 30 yards out to close the gap to 3-2. Esteban Alvarez earned the assist.
The Vikings battled furiously in an effort to notch the tying tally. Hemmingsen had some nice chances, but his deliveries either went wide or were saved by the Bulldog goalkeeper.
Carlos Dura almost notched the equalizer, but his shot hit the post late in the game.
“Although we didn’t get the result we wanted, the coaching staff and I couldn’t be any prouder of the fight they put in,†said Gagin. “This was probably the best team that the WHS boys soccer program has ever seen. It was a fun year and I hope they enjoyed every moment of it.†Incidentally, Rockland advanced to the Final Four in D-4 with a 2-1 victory over sixth-seed West Bridgewater in the quarterfinals this past Saturday