Whitefish Bay makes history by winning title
As the two-time defending Division 2 state champion carrying a national ranking, the Whitefish Bay boys soccer team carried a giant target on its back.
But all season long, the Blue Dukes kept their eye on making history.
Whitefish Bay became the first program to win three consecutive WIAA Division 2 state championships and did so in record-setting fashion with a 6-1 rout of Oregon on Saturday at Uihlein Soccer Park.
"This is a once in a lifetime type of team," Whitefish Bay coach Rob Dubinski said. "I would put this team up against just about any team in state history. When the lights shine brightest, these guys show up to play."
The Blue Dukes matched the all-division, two-game state tournament record with 11 goals in the semifinals and finals, and they finished one goal shy of the record for the most in a state tournament game.
Whitefish Bay (25-0-0) had a 1-0 lead before Oregon (16-5-4) even possessed the ball, as Matthew Comiskey scored just 30 seconds in on a shot from 10 yards out off an assist from Evan Kortebein.
"We figured they were going to come out like they did in the Waukesha West game (in the state semifinal) and play a little defensive," Dubinski said. "We just wanted to go downhill and attack immediately."
Comiskey struck again in the seventh minute when his free kick from 35 yards eluded everyone and bounced into the goal.
Jeremy Haddock served up a nice ball to Jimmy Zebel for a goal on a header in the 20th minute, and Zebell provided Mario Carini with a cross for a one-touch goal in the 22nd minute.
Oregon goalkeeper Duncan Morgan tried to punch save on a loose ball off a corner kick but couldn't clear the box. Drew Nelson corralled the ball and scored to make it 5-0 in the 37th minute.
Jeremy Haddock pushed the lead to 6-0 in the 41st minute.
"It all happened so quickly," Comiskey said. "We were up 4-0 after (22 minutes). It didn't really feel like a state final. Not in the sense that they weren't a great team, they obviously got to the final. They gave us a great test in the second half, but in the first half we were all amped up."
Oregon didn't quit in the second half and held Whitefish Bay scoreless over the final 49 minutes. The Panthers scored their lone goal in the 63rd minute when Johnny Auer put home a rebound after Blue Dukes defender Shawn Azcueta stopped the initial shot from going in.
Whitefish Bay has now won seven state titles in program history with the first six coming in back-to-back fashion, as the Blue Dukes repeated in 1982-'83, 1994-'95 and 2015-'16.
The Blue Dukes couldn't complete the three-peat the first two times they won consecutive championships, but they didn't return a team like this.
Marquette is the only other boys soccer program to win three consecutive titles in any division.
"It hasn't really set in yet," Comiskey said. "I don't think we've realized how special what we have done is just yet. I think it will set in pretty soon."