BATAVIA — Led by goalkeeper Drew Kendrick, Batavia defeated Wilmington 3-0 Thursday and won the SBAAC American Division boys soccer title.

The two teams were tied at 6-1-2 going in to the game, so it was winner take all.

WHS is 8-4-4 overall and 6-2-2 in the division, tied for second with Goshen.

“Despite the loss, we are so proud of the boys for the season they put together,” WHS head coach Imad El-Macharrafie said. “No one in the league thought we would be back in the hunt for a league title this season and we brought it all the way to the final night. We want to thank our supporters and administration for the great support all year.”

Batavia is now 8-3-5 overall and 7-1-2 in the American. Batavia was 0-10 in the American Division in 2020.

The Bulldogs allowed just six goals in 10 American Division matches.

Kendrick has eight shutouts on the season.

“The Batavia defense led by their standout goalie was a brick wall,” the WHS coach said. “Kudos to their new coach (Poggi) for turning around a team that went from last to first.”

Batavia scored an early goal, putting WHS in full attack mode.

“We had to take risks to try to earn it back,” El-Macharrafie said. “We were pressuring them to bring it back to within one when they countered and scored off of a rocket shot into the corner.”