Broad Run Sweeps Dulles District Championships

Spartans Streak to Title with Late Rally

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

With eight minutes remaining in Friday’s Dulles District Tournament final between top-seeded Heritage and second-seeded Broad Run at George Mason High School, the score was deadlocked at 11-11 and the game appeared to be destined for a repeat of last year’s final. The Pride upset Broad Run 10-9 in overtime one year ago, notching their first-ever victory over Spartans. But Broad Run decided they’d rather finish things in regulation this time.

After trailing for nearly the entire second half, the Spartans stormed back with seven unanswered goals in the final 7:33 to avenge last season’s championship loss and take the 2008 crown with a 16-11 victory.

Sophomore attacker Andrew Londos had three goals and four assists and junior attacker Kyle Ward added three goals and three assists as Broad Run avenged its lone district loss this season.

“The guys felt the pressure a little bit, but they felt we could get the job done,” Broad Run coach Phil Truiett said. “They did a very good job of keeping their composure. We had some unselfish play by some of our top players and some role players stepped up and helped us out.”



The Spartans (15-2) wasted no time getting on the board as sophomore Connor Cunningham found the back of the net 32 seconds into the opening quarter to put Broad Run on top. Exactly one minute later junior midfielder Russell East beat Collin Sack with the equalizer to tie the game at 1-1. The two teams battled back and forth all night in a game that saw six ties and four lead changes before the night was over. Whenever the Pride would score consecutive goals to get some breathing room, the Spartans would answer back with a goal or two of their own.

Heritage (14-2) led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter and took a 5-2 advantage after East’s second goal with 9:40 left in the first half. But Broad Run responded with four straight tallies to reclaim the lead before Dulles District Player of the Year Dean Stambules potted his second of four goals on the night to tie the game at 6-6 heading into the break.

“I told the guys the biggest thing is we can’t panic,” Truiett said. “We have good enough offensive players that if relax and do our thing, then we can get the ball in the goal.”

The Pride – which finished in a three-way tie with Broad Run and George Mason to end the regular season but was awarded the top-seed by coin toss – came out the aggressors in the second half, putting home the first two goals of the third to go up 8-6. But once again the Spartans came roaring back to tie the game, and once again a Stambules tally in the final minutes of the period gave the top-seeded Pride a one-goal lead to start the fourth quarter, 10-9.

Stambules beat Sack once more to open the final period but Heritage would never get another chance to celebrate. Broad Run senior middie Connor Forman scored straight from the face-off, just 10 seconds after Stambules’ marker, and the Spartans never looked back. One minute later, sophomore Tyler Johnson’s goal of a Londos assist tied the game at 11-11 and Broad Run continued to work the ball around their attacking zone and carve up the Heritage defense the rest of the way.

“It was about offensive possession time for them,” Heritage coach Jason Burke said. “You get there long enough, you don’t necessarily fall asleep, but the second you take your eyes off the cutter, (Sanders) did a really great job getting to the cage. And being a kid who knew he probably wouldn’t get a lot of looks, every look he got, he had to make count.”

After allowing a season-high 17 goals in an April 30th home loss to the Pride on senior night in Ashburn, Sack was a completely different goalie in between the pipes on Friday night. The sophomore net-minder finished with 10 saves on the night, including several in crucial situations that kept Heritage from stretching their second-half advantage.

“He played a tremendous game,” Truiett said of his young goalie. “He’s really come a long way this season. We’re very proud of him.”

Sack was aided by a relentless defensive effort from his back line, particularly senior First Team all-Dulles District Robbie Buckman, who drew the tough assignment of marking Stambules for much of the game.

“We sat down at halftime and Buckman felt confident that the thing that was allowing Stambules to be a scorer was him cutting to the goal and finishing,” Truiett said. “If we could stop him from getting the ball, then we felt like we could slow down their offense.”

Stambules still finished with four goals on the night to lead all scorers while Bryan McCarthy, David McCarthy, Peter Walsh, Chris Broderick and Chris Rossie all scored once for the Pride who must hit the road for their first Region II contest next week.

“I told the kids, we can play at home or take the bus ride,” Burke said. “I guess we’re taking the bus ride. So we’ll get healed up, take the aspirin and be ready to go Monday.”

Forman and junior middie Tim Sanders joined Londos and Ward with three goals for the Spartans who got a big boost from Johnson (two goals) and sophomore Geoff O’Kane (one goal) off the bench. The Spartans also advance to the Region II tournament where they will host Salem on Monday.

Lady Spartans Make it Three Straight

In the first game of Friday’s double-header, the Broad Run Spartans put the icing on the cake, adding a third-straight Dulles District tournament championship to their perfect 8-0 district regular season with a 15-4 rout of Potomac Falls.

Junior midfielder Meredith Rogers scored a game-high six goals and added an assist for the top-seeded Spartans (15-3) who jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the game and led 7-2 at the half.

Panthers’ senior attacker Katie Baumgardner scored twice in 30 seconds late in the second half to pull Potomac Falls within seven at 11-4, but Broad Run scored the final four goals and was never threatened on the night.

“I’ve always believed in the philosophy that plays don’t make the offense, the offense makes plays,” Broad Run coach Jen Melhuish said. “So I believe in a lot of creativity. I’ll set them up in formations, but then I just let them do their things.”

Junior First Team all-Dulles District middie Kate Sistare had three goals and three assists and fellow first-team selection senior Katie Mesmer added two goals and five assists for the Spartans who will host their first game in next week’s Region II tournament.

“The three of them have been playing together and I’ve actually coached them since seventh grade,” Melhuish said of Sistare, Mesmer and Rogers. “The three of them are so together this year that it makes it really easy to coach them.”

Junior goalie Allison Bogle – another Spartan selected to the First Team all-Dulles District – frustrated Panthers’ attackers all night, stoning Baumgardner on two wide open breakaways midway through the second half for two of her eight saves on the night.

“Allison is a great goalie,” Potomac Falls coach Allan Dacanay said. “She works hard at it, it’s her passion. So for somebody like that, it’s going to be hard to get the ball past her.”

Baumgardner scored three goals and senior Katie Dacanay added one goal and one assist for Potomac Falls (14-3), which advanced to the regional tournament for the first time in school history with its 11-10 semifinal win over Heritage on Thursday.

“The Heritage game took a lot out of us last night,” Dacanay said. “I’m proud of my girls. They were exhausted tonight and they didn’t quit. But (last night) was the big one. I think that’s why they laid it all out on the line.”

The Spartans will host Rock Bridge on Monday in the Region II semifinals.

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