The third-seeded Wharton High boys soccer team made key plays on defense and capitalized on its chances to defeat top-seeded Bloomingdale, 3-1, in the Class 6A-District 8 title game Friday night.
Wharton (10-10-1) is the only team to beat Bloomingdale (15-2-3) this season, ending the Bulls' nine-game win and 17-game unbeaten streaks. Coach Scott Ware saw a relaxed team take the field for the final after the Wildcats came from behind to defeat No. 2 Plant, 3-2, in the semifinals Thursday.
"I think the boys had some fun tonight," Ware said. "They were a little looser and they played that way."
The Wildcats weathered plenty of pressure. Goalkeeper Keenan Kushner (11 saves) came up big and defender Keaton Burchfield cleared a shot off the goal line in the first half.
Cody Brown scored for Wharton in the 36th minute, rising quickly after a collision. Wharton made it 2-0 when Alex Noble finished beautifully from 15 yards just short of 20 minutes into the second half. Tevin Gage answered about a minute later for the Bulls, but Felipe DeSousa re-established the lead with about 14 minutes left.
"We didn't execute when we should have," Bloomingdale coach Troy Smith said.
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