King Leads Spartans into State Semifinals

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Heading into halftime of their Virginia AA state quarterfinal matchup with Lafayette on Tuesday in Ashburn, the Broad Run Spartans found themselves in an unfamiliar position. The Region II champions had not trailed at the half of a game all season and fell behind only once - in a game against Loudoun County they would go on to win 6-3 - but on this night they found themselves in a 1-0 hole with 40 minutes to play.

The Spartans - who had fallen in the state quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons - would not be denied in their third effort, however. Junior midfielder Holly King stormed out of the break, tying the game just 18 seconds in, and following a 45 minute rain delay, King netted the game-winner as Broad Run held on to beat the Rams and advance to the state semifinals with a 2-1 victory.

After trailing for the final 24 minutes of the first half despite dominating the play on the field, the Spartans (22-0) stormed out of the half to tie the game on the ensuing kickoff. King received a pass just beyond the 18-yard line, deftly worked her way past four Rams' defenders and blasted a left-footed effort past Addie Williams to even the score at 1-1 with only 18 seconds off the clock.

"Everyone was just panicked in the first half and we just weren't playing our game," King said. "At halftime, we said 'This is our game, we came to win. As soon as the whistle blows, we go at it every single time.' And that's what we did. Luckily we got it in."

King's quick tally was the first of two lightning strikes in the quick succession. The second came in the weather variety as a bolt was seen by the referees on the horizon, forcing both teams and spectators to clear the field. Forty-five minutes later, following a brief but heavy downpour, play resumed and the Spartans picked up right where they had left off.

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Broad Run vs. Lafayette

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With this kick at 39:26 in the second half, Broad Run's Holly King scores her team's first goal. On defense for Lafayette is Hannah Lyerly. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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From left, Valerie Powell, Kelly Evans, and Whitney Church run to congratulate Holly King just as she scores her team's first goal. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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In first-half action, Broad Run's Holly King tries to head the ball into the goal, but her shot is blocked by Lafayette's Ariel Zimmerman and Addie Williams. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Broad Run's Holly King attempts to head the ball to the goal, but the shot is wide. On defense for Lafayete is Leigh Hill. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 20:44 left in the game, Broad Run's Valerie Powell drives hard to the goal, but her shot is blocked by Lafayette's Addie Williams and the shot is no good. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 33 minutes remaining in the game, Broad Run junior forward Valerie Powell tossed a long throw-in from the left sideline into the box where King got on the end of it, heading it past Williams into the lower left corner to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.

"We'd never been down after the half," King said. "But we just wanted to win this game so bad. After losing in the quarterfinals the last two years, it's not an answer the third time around."

Led by King - the co-Dulles District and Region II Player of the Year - Broad Run was on the attack for nearly all of the second half, showcasing their speed and ball control ability as they put constant pressure on Lafayette's back line. Williams was tested many times, including one possession where she saved three shots in quick succession, but was up to the challenge. The senior goalkeeper made 10 saves on the night, with several spectacular stops on headers and hard efforts from inside the box.

"This was Addie's last game, if we were going to lose, and she left everything out there," Lafayette Coach Shaheem Abrahams said.

But the most important save of the night was made by her counterpart. With 10:36 left in the game, Broad Run defender Brenna Smith fell on top of a ball in her own box, resulting in a handball ruling by the official and Lafayette was awarded a penalty shot. Junior forward Leigh Hill stepped up for the Rams but delivered a tentative effort toward the bottom left corner of the goal and Spartans' junior keeper Caitlin Hunter made a diving stop to preserve the lead and secure the eventual victory.

"I thought we had the penalty kick," Abrahams said. "It was actually very poorly shot, but you can't second-guess on that. I have my rotation. Hindsight is 20-20, so we can't go back. I think skill-wise they are the better team but it's a situation where you've got to play 80 minutes and we almost had it."

The Rams (17-2-1) got on the board in the first half when Allyn Pots' corner kick was mishandled by Hunter and the ball skipped behind her and across the line to give Lafayette a 1-0 lead. Hunter appeared to be bumped by forward Katherine Higgins on the play, but her appeal to the referee went unanswered.

Despite trailing, the Spartans dominated play through most of the first half, out-shooting their opponent 15-5, but only managed to put five of those shots on net. Broad Run continued their offensive onslaught after the intermission and out-shot the Rams 26-7 on the night.

"I think fate was in our corner, being able to score 20 seconds into the second half before the lightning delay and with Caitlin stopping the penalty kick," Broad Run Coach Claire Collins said. "We were able to get in behind them on that 20-second mental lapse, and once we got that goal, the girls knew we were going to win. We got the goal and took it from there. We finally got rid of 'the curse' as the girls have been calling it of not being able to get past the quarterfinals, so we're just really excited."

Broad Run advances to the state semifinals where they will meet the winner of Harrisonburg (Region III champion) and Hidden Valley (Region IV runner-up) at Radford University's Cupp Stadium on Friday at 4 p.m. And while the Spartans may have lifted their quarterfinal curse, they'll move forward with valuable experience from playing in their most challenging game to date this season.

"I think we scared them because we kept it real close," Abrahams said. "I think based on the pundits, in terms of how many goals they score a game, in terms of how they ran through Charlottesville last week, I think they thought they were going to just run through us. I think they're ready for the playoffs now, because I think now they realize they can't take teams for granted."

Tagged: Broad Run High School, high school sports, soccer

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