Imlay City boys soccer falls to Williamston in Division 3 regional semifinal
FLINT — For a game that began with two abrupt goals, it fittingly ended with one, too.
The Imlay City boys soccer team fell to Williamston, 2-1, in a Division 3 regional semifinal at Atwood Stadium on Tuesday. The Spartans finished the season at 16-5-1.
"We had one big mistake," Imlay City coach Luis Hernandez said. "When you're playing teams like this at this level, that's what's going to happen when you make one mistake. But one play does not define the entire game. We had our shots, they had theirs. Unfortunately, they took the one they (needed) and that was the big difference."
Williamston struck first less than three minutes into the match. But the Spartans answered a minute later when Xavier Galeana scored the equalizer.
The 1-1 tie would hold for the next 72 minutes of play. Then with 2:42 left in the second half, Williamston capitalized off a turnover right in front Imlay City's net.
Desperate, the Spartans fired several shots on goal in the final 30 seconds. But they couldn't connect.
"This is the way soccer is," Hernandez said. "When the teams are really even, it could go either way ... but I'm really proud of our guys. They really worked their butts off. Even with losing all the seniors (from last season), the bar was set really high. And they managed to get really, really close."
Earlier this season, the Spartans won BWAC and district championships for the fourth straight year. Their overall record since 2020 is 67-17-4.
"It's a year-round (process)," Hernandez said of the sustained success. "Next week, a lot of our guys will report back to their club teams). We do our thing inside (over the winter) and encourage kids to keep playing. Because you don't just show up the season and win. It takes a lot of hard work."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Imlay City boys soccer falls to Williamston in regional semifinal
