Third time is anything but the charm for Port vs. KML

That cliche about how hard it is to beat a team three times in one season didn’t hold up for the Port Washington High School boys’ soccer team at Kettle Moraine Lutheran on Saturday.

The Pirates, after losing 2-1 twice to the Chargers during the regular season, lost, 4-1, in a Division 3 regional final.

Port scored an own goal early, and the Chargers held a 3-0 halftime lead.

Senior George Pasko, moved from keeper to the field in the second half, scored Port’s goal with an assist from Scotty Bennett.

“I knew I was going to get through there. I saw the deflection from Scott. I just knew I could score,” Pasko said.

Port finished 15-6 overall and 6-3-3 in the Glacier Trails Conference.

“It was a great season, a lot better than years prior,” senior Xavier Styles said.

“Wonderful season,” senior Angel Ramirez said. “We never expected a season like this. Haven’t had a season like that in Port for a while.”

Pasko was also happy with his experience.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to play from sophomore year here. Just gotta thank God for that. It’s been a great career. Happy to be a two-year captain for this program. It’s the world to me that I was able to play with them and hopefully be a leader for the players,” he said.

Port beat Winneconne, 4-1, last Thursday to advance to the regional final.

Grafton wins again

It took a long time for Grafton to find its groove this season, but once the Black Hawks won their first game, they had a stretch of going .500 over a span of six contests.

The No. 14-seeded Black Hawks opened the playoffs with a 13-1 home shelling of No. 19-seeded Campbellsport on Oct. 21.

“I think it’s just a different level compared to what we see in the North Shore Conference,” coach Jake Wilde said.

Grafton is the only Division 3 school in a league of Division 2 and 1 schools in the NSC, with some regularly ranked in the state’s top 10.

“It’s a bit of a blessing and a curse for us. We see tougher competition than we’ll ever see in Division 3,” Wilde said.

The Black Hawks lost at No. 3-seeded Kewaskum, 2-0, last Thursday.

“Super happy with the performance,” Wilde said.

The Hawks hit the crossbar once and allowed two first-half goals.

Grafton finished 4-13-1 overall.

“I’m biased but I think we can play. The quality’s there. We have some learning curves with mentality,” Wilde said.

The offseason training program, he said, has already started.

“We’ll keep building,” he said.