The Whitehall boys soccer team opened its 2017 season with an important victory over Cement Belt rivals, Northampton.

The Zephyrs erased an early two-goal deficit to defeat the K-Kids 4-2 on Sept. 1 at the Zephyr Athletic Complex. Sophomore Kresstoph Whittick scored two goals and added an assist to give head coach Chris Bastidas a big early-season win over his brother Adam on the opposing sideline.

Sophomore Anthony Snyder and senior Jason Santos each scored to give Northampton an early 2-0 lead, but goals by Whittick and junior Tony Rodriguez tied the game before halftime.

The Zephyrs maintained possession for the majority of the second half, with senior Zahir Linton breaking the 2-2 tie with 19 minutes left. Following an athletic save by goalkeeper Alexander Khouri late in the match, Whittick iced the game with 30 seconds to earn his second goal.

A big reason for Whitehall’s possession advantage in the second half was the hustle of Rodriguez in the midfield. With about 15 minutes left in the contest, a member of the Northampton coaching staff implored, “How is No. 2 winning every ball?”

For Coach Chris Bastidas, the opening contest gave him his first live look at his very young defense. For a large portion of the second half, the Zephyrs’ defense consisted of three freshmen and a sophomore.

When asked about whether that youth in the backfield has forced him to change his coaching philosophy a little bit, Bastidas said, “It doesn’t change, but it makes you a little nervous, absolutely.”

“I have full confidence in them,” Bastidas said. “If you’re a good player, you’re going to step in and play right away.”

If the Zephyrs are able to challenge for a district playoff berth this season, they will likely need a big year from Linton in the midfield. According to Bastidas, he is flourishing in his role as captain.

“Absolutely amazing captain,” Bastidas said. “He is doing what is right and what is correct for the team all the time. When he is playing well, the team is playing well.”

Whitehall travels to Emmaus on Sept. 7 and hosts Central Catholic on Sept. 9.