No one would have blamed the Greenhills School boys soccer team if they had just sat back and defended for the entire first half during their Division 4 Regional game Tuesday against Lutheran Westland in Ann Arbor.

In the opening half, Greenhills had to play into a strong and steady wind, but the Gryphons were unphased. The Gryphons were still able to get the better of the first half possession, and, more importantly, two goals from Patrick Duggan to take a 2-0 lead into halftime, despite the disadvantageous weather.

Lutheran Westland, meanwhile, didn’t fare so well against the wind in the second half, and Greenhills added two more goals to win the game 4-0 and advance to Saturday’s regional final, also to be held at Greenhills School.

Greenhills coach Lucian Popescu planned for the windy conditions. On Tuesday, he had his team practice playing into a heavy wind in order to prepare for the weather he expected on Wednesday.

“Practicing specifically for the wind gave us an advantage in the first half,” Popescu said. “We made sure the ball stayed on the ground and never sent the ball in the air. We played well.”

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