The SoBoCo Eagles had to absorb an improbable loss on Monday night in a game in which they had one first half goal taken away and a potential second half goal tying goal taken away when Ian McCluskey was tackled from behind in the box – only to have the referee pocket his whistle.

SoBoCo's Sam Bonderer attempts to control the ball as a Tolton defender tries to steal it. The Eagles will begin district play next Tuesday.

SoBoCo’s Sam Bonderer attempts to control the ball as a Tolton defender tries to steal it. The Eagles will begin district play next Tuesday.

The Father Tolton Trailblazers took a 1-0 win on Noah Lawrence’s first half goal, but Eagles coach Chris Miller and the Eagles undoubtedly felt as though they had done enough to win.

“I don’t know why it wasn’t called,” Miller said of the non-call on McCluskey, “I think everyone in the park saw it. The Tolton bench said the same thing, but nobody has a whistle but him,” Miller said of the referee.

The Eagles looked as though they would control the game for the first 10 minutes and at the 30-minute mark they built an attack that ended with McCluskey slamming a shot on goal from the far left side, nearly 20 yards out. Tolton’s keeper got his hands on the ball, and it rebounded towards the middle of the goal box – and onto the foot of Nolan Groseclose. But as the ball went in the net, the sideline referee waived off the goal, telling Miller later that Groseclose was offsides on the shot – on the other side of the field.

“He said Nolan was in an offsides position, and I can’t see from this end,” Miller said, “so they took effect the goal off the board.”

~ Read the rest of this story in today’s Journal ~

By Bruce Wallace