McDonogh’s boys soccer team, looking to regain the dominating form it has demonstrated for most of the season, traveled to Walt Whitman High School on Saturday night and exploded for three goals in each half to claim an impressive 6-0 win.
Julian Griggs netted a hat-trick, all in the first half, and Mike Gamble had a goal and four assists to lead the potent Eagle attack. Griggs added an assist, while Malcolm Harris and Kyle DeVinney also scored for head coach Steve Nichols.
McDonogh, now 16-3-1 overall, leads Gilman by two points (28-26) in the battle for the top seed in the MIAA A Conference, with two games to play. By far the most important of these contests will come on Tuesday when the Eagles visit the Greyhounds in Roland Park. A win or tie by McDonogh will clinch the top seed for the Eagles. A Gilman win puts the Grehounds in the driver’s seat. Of course, Gilman is also trying to hold off third-place Mount St. Joseph (25) and fourth-place Calvert Hall (22), who both still have designs on a top two seed which would provided a first-round bye and a home game for the semifinals.
St. Joe will be at Archbishop Spalding on Tuesday, before closing at Calvert Hall on Thursday. Calvert Hall will host John Carroll on Tuesday. McDonogh’s final game is at Loyola on Thursday, while Gilman will close its regular season at Spalding.
Elsewhere, Arcbhishop Curley will host Loyola on Tuesday. The Friars trail the fifth-place Dons by three points following a 1-0 loss at Blakefield, on Friday. Both teams will make the post-season but these final games will determine which team is the fifth seed and which one is the sixth seed. Curley’s final regular season game will be at John Carroll on Thursday.
No. 6 will open the playoffs at No. 3, while No. 5 will visit No. 4.
