Callejas, Heritage Streak to District Final

By Paul Tenorio

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Holding at the midfield line to stay onside, Heritage senior Ivan Callejas took off when a long clearance fell in the middle of the Dominion half. The speedy senior collected the ball with no defender within 15 yards, calmly dribbled by the Titans' goalkeeper and pushed the ball into an empty net as two trailing defenders reached out in a final effort to save their season.

Callejas, who had not played soccer at Heritage since a brief stint his freshman year, had been the top goal scorer for the Pride all season. And his goal with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth overtime gave top-seeded Heritage a 3-2 victory and sent the Pride to the Virginia AA Dulles District championship game.

As the ball crossed the goal line, Callejas turned and sprinted toward the sideline, sliding on the ground before being mobbed by his teammates in a large pile near the corner flag.

The goal completed a Pride comeback from 2-1 down, downing a determined Dominion team that had knocked off fourth-seeded Broad Run last Saturday and continued to prove they belonged on the field with anyone.

"I think it's just great experience for what we're going to have" in regionals, Heritage Coach Betsy Munson said. "I've had a small group of kids who have been through regional and state play and I've experienced it myself … and they got that tonight without having to have it be over if they didn’t do it."

For the Dominion players, many of whom crumpled to the ground in exhaustion and disappointment as the Pride celebrated, the loss was one Coach Alan Lear said should evoke a sense of pride for the effort the team gave.

Park View all-district center midfielder Andres Contreras also stopped over where the Titans were gathered as he warmed up for the second game of the doubleheader, telling the team how impressed he was and encourage them not to be disappointed, but rather be motivated for next year.

"There is no reason for them to hang their head," Lear said. "I told them that was a great game, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

After a first half in which Heritage dominated much of the play, Dominion seemed to gain confidence at the start of the second half with the score knotted at zero. But in the 54th minute, Heritage earned a free kick on top of the 18-yard box and senior Amadu Bangaru touched the ball to Luis Brun Rodriguez, whose low shot found the back of the net.

The goal seemed to suck some momentum out of the Titans, and Heritage once again started to dictate play. But five minutes later, a seemingly harmless free kick from Tommy Kowalick on the side of the 18-yard box took a deflection off a Heritage defender in the wall and snuck in under the crossbar to tie the game at one, re-energizing Dominion.

Dominion attacked fearlessly and with nothing to lose, and with ten minutes remaining, the aggression paid off when Rigoberto Fuentes skillfully avoided a slide tackle, and sent in a diagonal ball from the right side. The clearance fell to Kenneth Youngs, who brought it down and slid a pass through to senior Tony Hasper. The first-team All-District selection took a touch, and from eight yards out gave the underdogs a 2-1 lead.

But Bangaru scored on a header off a corner kick just four minutes later, his school-record 36th career goal on Rodriguez's school record 13th assist of the season, and the Pride broke through for the win in the fourth overtime.

"I am proud of the way they came out and battled," Munson said, laughing before touching her jacket pocket. "But I did have my penalty kick lineup in my left pocket. It was ready."

Park View Holds Off County, Clinches Region II Berth

Through a torrential downpour and with the support of its singing, drum-beating fans, second-seeded Park View held off an upset-minded Loudoun County team in the second game of the doubleheader to win, 2-1, and advance to the Virginia AA Dulles District championship game for the first time in more than a decade.

With the win, Park View also advances to the Region II playoffs, as Heritage already clinched a berth by taking the regular season title.

"It's a great feeling for the school, for the kids, for everybody," Park View Coach Arturo Jimenez said. "First time in something like 13 or 14 years that this has made it to regionals or to the finals. We worked hard from day one, we worked hard every game and it's coming out. And I hope we can keep this ride going for a while."

Park View jumped to an early 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game on a shot from inside the 18-yard box by Andres Contreras. Contreras took a pass across the box from Pedro Mendoza and beat the Loudoun County keeper as he tried to recover across the face of the net.

The Patriots made it 2-0 when Mendoza volleyed home a goal with 23 minutes remaining in the half, but Loudoun County battled back to 2-1 on a goal from Chris Herrarte early in the second half and hit the crossbar late in the game.

After the game, Jimenez credited the Raiders for their tenacity.

"That was a [heck] of a game," Jimenez said. "You've got to give it to Loudoun County, they came out and took us out of our game."

And as his team celebrated on the track with its fans, Jimenez smiled.

"Now we get another shot at Heritage," he said.

Tagged: soccer

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