A Look Back at P. Falls Boys' Soccer

By Paul Tenorio

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Potomac Falls boys' soccer players sat on the bench, heads bowed and hands holding runner-up medals from a game that had suddenly and heartbreakingly been taken away from them. And they listened.

Panthers Coach Dave Gryder had been here before, in a moment almost exactly like this four years earlier.

It was 2005 when Potomac Falls had given up a goal to Blacksburg, tying the score with just 37 seconds remaining in a Virginia AA state semifinal. The Panthers would eventually lose in penalty kicks.

So, last Sunday, as Gryder looked at his team, which had so similarly given up a goal to Blacksburg late - with three seconds remaining in regulation - and eventually fell in the fourth overtime, he knew what to say.

Gryder told his team that once the sting wore off from such a bitter loss, they would be able to look back at what they had accomplished this season and understand just how remarkable it was.

He told his players what an impressive journey it was for a team that had been all but counted out 40 days earlier to rise from the fourth seed in the Dulles District to win the Region II title and finish as state runners-up.

"They gave their heart; they gave everything they had," Gryder said.

The turnaround had started following a Panthers win over Freedom-South Riding on May 1. Before the game, Potomac Falls had lost three of its past six and was sinking in the district standings.

But after a winning goal from senior Asa Fox gave Potomac Falls the 2-1 win over the Eagles, the Panthers held a players-only meeting to set their goals for the remainder of the year.

Before the Freedom win, "We were 6-5-1, and we made the turnaround to just say, 'Look, we're a good team and we can do whatever we want right now,' " Fox said. "And just push on to do the best we can."

The Panthers (17-6-1) wouldn't look back, downing district rival Broad Run, 4-0, in their next game and capturing the Dulles District tournament and Region II titles before finally seeing their 12-game win streak ended on a golden goal in the championship game at Radford University after more than 97 minutes of soccer.

And although the loss was crushing and the Panthers enter next year without Fox, whose goal-scoring prowess had pushed them through to Radford, Gryder again will be able to open his team talk next year citing that 2005 loss as much as the 2009 disappointment.

Because after that 2005 loss, the 2006 Potomac Falls team bounced back to win the state title, and Gryder no doubt would like to see history repeat itself.

"I know we'll learn from this; we'll play harder, we'll try harder and hopefully we get back here," Gryder said. "It's hard; it's a hard road. We've been very fortunate the past couple years to be able to get down here. And, hopefully, we can get back. But there are no guarantees."

Tagged: high school sports, Potomac Falls High School, soccer

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