Stone Bridge, Park View Head to State Soccer Tournament

By Paul Tenorio

Thursday, May 29, 2008

For much of the second game of last night's Northern Region semifinal doubleheader, it seemed that neither top-ranked Stone Bridge nor No. 6 Yorktown was able to find a rhythm.

The Bulldogs (17-1-1) had some dangerous attacks in the first half, narrowly missing the frame twice. And Yorktown (16-4) threatened to score three times in the second half. But neither team seemed to push forward with the energy with which they had during the season, instead sitting back and building fewer attacks. And it seemed if a goal was to come, it'd come when the other team blinked first.

Yorktown finally blinked with just under eight minutes remaining. The Patriots were unable to clear a corner kick from the top of their own box, the ball bouncing among a few players and finally landing in front of forward Ronnie Shaban. Shaban, who moved from defense to forward at the beginning of the year, crushed a right-footed volley that left no chance for a save, and Stone Bridge moved on with a 1-0 win.

"It was probably one of the ugliest goals we've scored all season," Shaban said. "But it was the one that counted the most."

With the win, Stone Bridge Coach Randy May will match up against Robinson Coach Jac Cicala tomorrow in the final. The two coaches have seven state titles between them, with May winning three at West Springfield and Cicala winning four at Lake Braddock.

Park View 1, Handley 0

Park View defeated Handley, 1-0, in a Region II semifinal on a goal by Pedro Mendoza with 1:30 remaining in the first overtime. Mendoza scored on a breakaway after Park View had seen several close chances come up just short, including four shots off the post.

"The game for us went well, we played a very good game," Patriots Coach Arturo Jimenez said. "We played our style of soccer and stayed with our style and knocked it around well."

With the win, Park View secures a berth in the Virginia AA state tournament and will host Brentsville at 6 p.m. Friday in the region championship game.

Tagged: high school sports, Park View High School, soccer, Stone Bridge High School

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