|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Fairfax blows past Chantilly with 3-0 win
The Fairfax boys soccer team needed only eight minutes to obtain the lead during Tuesday night's 3-0 Concorde District quarterfinal win over Chantilly.
The Rebels protected that one-goal lead for the next 58 minutes, and capped a second-half turnaround to the 2008 season by scoring a pair of goals in the final 14 minutes.
Coach Kyle Morrisey's team has now won four of five matches after opening the season at 3-8, and the Rebels will face Herndon in the district semifinals Wednesday.
“After the first loss [to Chantilly], we kept that in the back of our heads,” said Fairfax senior Lonnie Carter, referencing the two teams' lone meeting this season -- a 2-0 win for the Chargers (4-12) on April 11. “I told my team that it's not going to happen again.”
Junior midfielder Stefan Ha scored his first two goals of the season, while senior forward Adam Ballard sandwiched his tally between Ha's two markers.
Fairfax goalkeeper Sean Goudarzi earned the Rebels' third shutout of the season -- both coming in the past five games.
“We don't have the best record on the season, but we're getting better,” said Goudarzi, whose team improved to 7-9. “We've won four games out of our last five ... a lot of confidence for us.”
Entering this season, questions resonated through the hallways of Fairfax High School, most regarding the status of one of the Northern Region's top players in Antonio Soto.
After notching more than 45 goals during his freshman and sophomore seasons, the prolific scorer returned home to Uruguay to “pursue other soccer interests,” according to Morrisey.
It was well understood that goals would be hard to come by, and it was even less apparent as to who would score them. Morrisey's only known commodity was Carter, who doesn't always play at the offensive end of the field but consistently finds a way to have an impact.
“You play him where you need him,” explained Morrisey. “He scored 11 goals [this season] at forward ... he had his chances. You put him up top, it keeps them honest That's the beauty of Lonnie.”
Perhaps the most delightful surprise this spring has been another senior in Goudarzi. After missing all of 2007 with a back injury, Goudarzi is back between the posts and louder than ever.
“I feel like I'm the backbone of the team. I'm the goalie ... I see everything,” said Goudarzi, who rarely had a minute where he wasn't yelling or instructing. "I know how to correct guys, how to guide them. That's what I do. That's the responsibility of every goalie, not to just stand there and save balls but to talk with your teammates during the game.”
As Morrisey wrapped up his postgame interview, very few words were needed. The coach sighed, took a deep breath and admitted, “That felt good.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.