Tuesday night’s WIAA regional soccer play-in game between the Whitewater Whippets and the Spartans of Martin Luther was an entertaining end to end battle for the full 80 minutes.

Martin Luther scored an early goal to give them the lead; however, seconds later, a beautiful ball in from Avery Janovec and a brilliant scissor kick finish from Victor Hernandez tied the game. The Spartans took the lead again shortly after, but a smart bottom corner shot from Sebastian Cuellar once again tied the game. The last 20 minutes of the first half were dominated by the Whippets. With some sustained pressure, Victor Hernandez assisted Chris Cortes’ first ever varsity goal to give the Whippets the lead at half time.

The second half continued just as the first and was heavily contested on all parts of the pitch. Martin Luther managed to tie the game at 3 and then take the lead 4-3 minutes later. They weren’t ahead for long because Victor Hernadez played another magnificent ball and assisted Chris Cortes again. With the score tied at 4 all, extra time and penalties looked imminent. However, with 86 seconds left in the game, Martin Luther delivered the final blow of the contest.

Despite the loss, the Whitewater Whippets can end their season with their heads held high because of their wonderful performance on a cold and windy night. We say goodbye and thank you to our seniors and wish them luck in all future endeavors. Improvement from the beginning of the season to the end is all we can really ask for, and our boys delivered. Thanks for the great season!

Article Submitted by Sam Burns
Whitewater High School Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach
dburns@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka