The Portal men's varsity soccer team had a long bus ride up to Statenville to take on the Echols County Wildcats in the Sweet Sixteen of the GHSA State Playoffs on Wednesday afternoon. The Panthers lost 1-0 to the Wildcats.
The Panthers were coming off of a 3-0 victory in the first round of the playoffs. but could not get that same magic going in this game, Portal was unable to get the ball through net despite their good work on the defensive end. The only difference in the game was a penalty kick that the Wildcats scored off of in the first half.
Portal Coach Matt Haddock was still pleased with his team's performance. "It was a well played game overall," Haddock said. "We had multiple shots on the goal, just couldn't find the back of the net."
The Panthers are looking to bring back a lot of their team for next year. With only one senior on the roster, we could expect a lot of the same faces in a Portal uniform. Coach Haddock is looking forward to seeing his team develop over the next couple of years.
For majority of the team, the last two games were their first taste of state playoff competition. The players played well even with their inexperience. "We're very proud of our young team, and the growth they've had this year," Haddock said.
