Soccer: Stone Bridge Boys, Girls Top Robinson

Wins Put State's Teams on Notice

By Paul Tenorio

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Both the Stone Bridge boys' and girls' soccer programs sent a resounding message to the rest of Virginia following wins over Robinson in a doubleheader in Ashburn on Friday night: The Bulldogs may not be traditional powerhouses, but their programs are legitimate.

The fourth-ranked boys downed No. 3 Robinson, 3-2, in the first game and the No. 4 girls downed the top-ranked Rams, 1-0, in the nightcap, proving the Bulldogs are legitimate contenders in the region and state this season.

Both games featured late winning goals, as senior Wan Soo Seo scored for the boys with 4 minutes 40 seconds left in the contest and senior Melony Davis gave the girls the win with just under 10 minutes remaining.

The goals were evidence of the perseverance showed by both teams, with the boys fighting back after Robinson twice tied the score and the girls battling a quick Rams team that dominated possession for much of the second half and challenged its defense for the majority of the game.

"That's exactly what we talked about at halftime," Stone Bridge girls' coach Rae Ann Taylor said of her team's fight. "Do we really want to compete out here? Robinson's a great team with great players, but if they really wanted to compete they could have a game."

The boys came out with tremendous energy, scoring the opening goal five minutes into the match and nearly taking a two-goal lead several times. But Robinson equalized with 10 minutes remaining and the two teams went into halftime all squared up.

Columbia-bound senior Ronnie Shaban put the Bulldogs on top in the second half when Chris Kravatz earned a penalty kick that Shaban put home in the upper right corner, but again the Rams answered back with a goal with just nine minutes remaining in the game.

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Soccer: Stone Bridge Defeats Robinson

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During the first half of Friday night's game between Robinson and Stone Bridge, Robinson's No. 4 Ted Farris and Stone Bridge's No. 10 Ryan Sullivan go out of bounds at the corner of Robinson's goal. Stone Bridge takes possession. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's No. 3 Ronnie Shaban takes control of the ball from Robinson's No. 14 Jimmy Brewer during the first half of Friday's game at Stone Bridge. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's No. 22 Nicholas Giffen acknowledges cheers from the crowd after scoring the first goal of Friday's game against Robinson during the first half. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 6:52 left in the first half, Robinson's No. 18 Connor Alexander and Stone Bridge's No. 19 Mike Herndon fight for control of the ball. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 4:20 left in a tied game against Robinson High School, Stone Bridge's No. 5 Wan-Soo Seo kicks the winning goal. He is celebrating with No. 10 Ryan Sullivan and No. 19 Mike Herndon. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's No. 5 Wan-Soo Seo gave the Bulldogs the edge in a tied game after his goal brought the score to 3-2. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's No. 5 Wan-Soo Seo kicks the ball past Robinson's No. 4 Ted Farris and goalkeeper No. 34 Adrian Dominguez to break the tie and drive the score to 3-2. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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But again Stone Bridge took the lead, this time when senior Chris Kamara's free kick from just past midfield was pushed by a strong wind over the Robinson keeper and bounced off the crossbar, and Seo pounced on the rebound to give the Bulldogs the win.

"Will we sit back and think we've arrived? No," Stone Bridge boys' coach Randy May said. "They're going to hear me on Monday, because we haven't arrived. But giving up a lead and coming back twice, it says a lot about this team, the leadership on this team and the mentality."

In the girls' game, Stone Bridge had several opportunities in the first half, when both teams attacked with purpose and registered several dangerous shots. But in the second half, a very fast Robinson team controlled the tempo of the game and had several scoring chances that tested the Bulldogs' defense.

But Stone Bridge did not wilt under the pressure, and after stringing together some passes through the midfield, Abigail Apistolas served a beautiful ball over the top to Davis, who brought the pass down with her thigh and hammered it home for the win.

"We just kept encouraging them to compete and compete and take advantage of their chances and it happened," Taylor said. "Just give a lot of credit to the defense for holding it together."

With the wins, both teams now have marquee victories upon which they can build, and that also no doubt has instilled confidence in the players.

"Our expectations were to compete, I didn't know how good everyone would be," Taylor said. "So this was a great chance to get to see it."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks