Soccer: Panthers Defeat No. 9 Heritage

By Paul Tenorio

Thursday, April 24, 2008

In an intense physical battle that saw several players leave the pitch bloody and bruised, Potomac Falls used steady midfield play and a two-goal performance from its All-Met forward to knock off No. 9 Heritage 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Uche Onyeador scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season, the first and last of the night, to pace the Panthers - with his second strike a brilliant display of the skill and scoring touch that has the senior headed to play for Georgetown next season.

After Heritage (8-1, 7-1 AA Dulles) had taken an early 1-0 lead on a strike from senior Nana Darko just three minutes into the match, Onyeador equalized 12 minutes later when he got on the end of a poorly cleared cross in the box and placed a simple one-time side-footed shot into the far post.

Then, in the second half with his Panthers leading 2-1, Onyeador took a pass on the right side of the box, used one touch to cut inside and blasted a left foot strike into the upper corner of the near post to clinch the game for Potomac Falls (7-3, 5-3 AA Dulles).

"We got an All-Met performance from our best player, that's the bottom line," Potomac Falls Coach Dave Gryder said. "Uche had an incredible game."

Potomac Falls dominated most of the game, getting strong play in the midfield from junior Asa Fox and sophomore Conor Shanosky. Fox was especially effective at right midfield, dominating the sideline in the first half and taking players on effectively in the second to create several opportunities for Potomac Falls.

The Panthers also had balanced play from their defense - an area that had plagued the team early in the season - and save from the early let down that led to Darko's goal, looked organized and effective in the back.

"I think our defense, we switched formations, we added a few players here and there to fill spots and now they understand what their role is and what we expect of them," Gryder said. "We've got to seniors back there in Alex Borowski and Cristhian Antelo who have been with us and they're not going to let kids, hopefully, beat them. They have that heart and desire to get after it."

The Pride, who were playing without their top striker in Ivan Callejas due to a knee contusion suffered against Loudoun County, jumped up early when a failed clearance bounced around the box long enough for Darko to knock home a goal.

But without Callejas in the game, Heritage seemed to struggle to find many quality chances. In the midfield, Amadu Bangaru and Darko were physical and played the role of enforcers, but with Fox and Onyeador providing strong play, Heritage could not stay in the game.

Photo Gallery

Potomac Falls Defeats Heritage, 3-1

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In the game's last seconds, Potomac Falls tries for one last goal. Though it did not score on that attempt, the team still beat Heritage, 3-1. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With minutes left in the game, Potomac Falls' Conor Shanosky, No. 13, takes a shot at Heritage's goal. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Heritage's Shawn Page, No. 15, slides under Potomac Falls' Uche Onyeador, No. 10, in the second half. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 31 minutes remaining, Potomac Falls' Uche Onyeador takes the ball past Heritage's Bryan Mill. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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No. 3 Payton Case, of Heritage, and Potomac Falls' Conor Shanosky, No. 13, head the ball. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Potomac Falls' No. 21 Michael Tobin has the ball stolen by Heritage's Amadu Bangaru. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Heritage's Ryan Traster tries to take the ball from Potomac Falls' Asa Fox. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With the score tied at one in the first half, Fox delivered a direct free kick from the left sideline that dropped in the middle of the box, where it was headed home by Wilfredo Alvarez Lairana to give Potomac Falls the lead. From there the Panthers dominated the game, especially in the second half, when several close opportunities narrowly missed - keeping the scoreline from being much more commanding than the 3-1 final tally showed.

After falling to Heritage 1-0 earlier this season, Gryder said he hopes this win instills confidence in his young team that they can beat anybody.

"Losing the first time really motivated us to come to our place and show what we got and hopefully make a run here," Gryder said. "We really hurt ourselves with the losses we've had but we feel good…at least for now."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks