Sidwell's seniors go out with a bang

The eight seniors on the top-ranked Sidwell Friends boys' soccer team delivered one last memorable performance, capping their careers at the school with a fourth straight Mid-Atlantic Conference championship, beating rival Potomac School, 3-1.

"It's sad that it's over, but it couldn't have ended any better way," senior Nathaniel Howell said. "It's a perfect ending to an awesome four years."

Howell scored the game-winning goal in the 54th minute on a well-placed pass from classmate Ben Norton that left Howell all alone with the goalkeeper.

"I just put a touch past the keeper and put it in," Howell said.

Howell and Norton, the team's co-captains, weren't the only seniors that stepped up. Defender Jerry Wertheim was supposed to be watching the game from the sideline. Wertheim suffered a sprain and an avulsion fracture in his ankle the first week of October. Both his doctor and physical therapist said it would take six to eight weeks to be off crutches.

"It's kind of corny; I told my mom I was going to will myself back for the finals," the senior said.

Wertheim, who practiced for the first time Friday, arrived on the field with a heavily taped right ankle and helped steady the Quakers' defense.

Sidwell Friends (14-1-4) showed its experience from the start, controlling possession while the younger Potomac School team struggled to connect on passes.

"We came out very strong, had a shot hit the post in the first five minutes," Kjaer said. "We came out with that energy."

Despite dominating, the Quakers had nothing to show for it entering the last minute of the half. Then sophomore Curtis Oberg one-timed a deflected ball in the box into the back of the net from a tough angle.

"It was a beautiful ball, weak foot," said Oberg of the ball played over the top to him.

In the second half, Potomac School (12-4-4) didn't go away. The Panthers held the ball in the Quakers' end for an extended amount of time early on and generated several scoring chances, including three corner kicks in a two-minute span.

Yet it was Sidwell Friends that struck first in the half on Howell's goal, which put the Quakers up 2-0. Things looked in hand for the Quakers until an odd sequence in the 59th minute, when a long ball deflected off several players in the box and finally Andrew Jones's head to bring the Panthers to within a goal.

But Sidwell Friends senior David Chow iced the game in the 78th minute, making it 3-1. The goal was only his second of the year and came just seconds after he entered.