It may have been a slow start for Whitehall’s boys’ soccer team this fall, but the Zephyrs appear to gaining their footing through the midpoint of the calendar.

Following a 1-3 start, Whitehall has won four of their last five games heading into the week with an opportunity to keep that momentum going with a slate of three games.

“I think it’s relevant to mention three of our first four games were against three different district champions from last season and very good teams,” said head coach Chris Malone, citing playing Northwestern, Central Catholic and Emmaus in their opening stretch. “We knew going in those would be tough but two of the three against them were decided by one goal and were both very close games. Nonetheless, we certainly needed to focus in on our defensive organization as well as make a few adjustments personnel wise. At the end of the day we want to be playing our best soccer by mid October and we will continue to improve our game everyday.”

With Whitehall (5-4) atop the District 11 3A power rankings, as well as currently seeded sixth in the EPC playoff race, their defense has turned around as of late, allowing two goals over the past five games, compared to surrendering 10 goals in their first four contests.

Cole Guerney has been key in that department, manning the goal, while seniors Gio Mazzola, Miguel Roa and Zach Onsinyo have been vital cogs in the Zephyr attack, including their highest output of the season last week in a 4-1 win over Stroudsburg.

The Zephyrs take on Allen (3-5), Pleasant Valley (5-2-1) and East Stroudsburg North (2-7) this week. That’s a slate of games that should put them in contention to further build their case toward solidifying a coveted district playoff berth, but Malone is only worried about one step at a time.

“I think it’s important for our players to focus on one game at a time,” he said. “We must have focus and discipline in each game this week and not overlook any opponent. We certainly want to have as good a seed as possible in districts as well as make the league playoffs.”