Lansing Eastern's boys soccer season ended Thursday, Oct. 22, with a 1-0 loss to DeWitt in the MHSAA Division 2 district championship at DeWitt High School.
Freshman forward Jake Wever scored the game’s only goal with 20 minutes remaining in the first half, finishing a cross from Will Broderick, according to WILX. It was the only goal DeWitt needed, as the Panthers shut out the Quakers, ranked No. 3 in Division 2, for the full 80 minutes.
The defeat stung. Eastern entered the district final riding a season that included a Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) Red title and the CAAC Gold Cup championship, according to the Lansing State Journal. The Quakers finished 17-2-3, the newspaper reported.
It was the second straight year DeWitt eliminated Eastern in a district final.
DeWitt coach Joe Ishraidi told the Lansing State Journal that Wever, who hasn't always logged heavy minutes this fall, delivered when it counted. "He's a freshman that doesn't look like a freshman and didn't play like a freshman today," Ishraidi said.
Wever's goal held up behind a stingy DeWitt defense anchored by goalkeeper Vince Rose. The district title was Rose's third consecutive shutout of the tournament, after the Panthers beat Fowlerville 4-0 in the opener and Haslett 2-0 in the Oct. 19 semifinal. The district championship was DeWitt's second in a row and seventh in eight seasons, per the Lansing State Journal. DeWitt enters the regional round at 11-4-5.
Eastern reached the district final with a 6-0 win over St. Johns on Oct. 14 and a 1-0 semifinal victory over Mason on Oct. 19, according to Lansing State Journal district results.
DeWitt advances to the Division 2 regional semifinal against Bay City Western on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Swartz Creek, a matchup also reported by MLive.
