Broad Run Boys' Soccer Extends Lead

Spartans Hold Off Raiders in District Showdown

By Paul Tenorio

Friday, May 1, 2009

At his club team training sessions, it's common practice for Broad Run junior Danny Reategui to work on penalty kicks.

So, as he lined up to take one in the second half against Loudoun County after drawing a foul in the box in a crucial Virginia AA Dulles District matchup, there should not have been too many concerns. Except for one problem: In the net facing him stood his club teammate, Loudoun County goalkeeper Calle Brown.

"I always go to the right side," Reategui said. "And he knows that."

This time, though, Reategui looked right and then buried his shot left as Brown dived in the opposite direction, tallying Reategui's second goal of the game - the eventual game-winner - in the Spartans' 2-1 victory Friday night in Ashburn.

The win strengthened Broad Run's hold on first place in a district that has had three teams, including Loudoun County, sit atop the standings in recent weeks.

The Spartans (9-4, 8-3) entered the game with a one-point lead on the Raiders and now sit four points ahead of them. And Broad Run is also clear of Park View, which entered Friday night in third place, one point behind Loudoun County (7-3-3, 6-3-2).

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Broad Run Holds Off Loudoun County

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Broad Run's Spencer Martin, left, cuts the leg from underneath Loudoun County's Connor Winemiller. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Broad Run goalie Paul Hegedus reaches high to block a shot as Loudoun County's Ben Forbes, center, and Anes Bekric, right, look on. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Loudoun County's Kyle Buckley tries to defend against Broad Run's Danny Reategui's shot on goal. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Loudoun County's Ben Forbes, left, and Broad Run's Danny Reategui battle for the ball. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Loudoun County's Ricardo Gonzalez, right, collides with Broad Run's Onari Tariah, left, as they go for the header. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Loudoun County goalie Calle Brown gets his hands up to block a scoring attempt by Broad Run's Danny Reategui, who tried to head the ball toward the goal. (Richard A. Lipski)

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Broad Run's Danny Reategui celebrates his first goal during the first half as he runs toward his team's bench. (Richard A. Lipski)

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"It's a great statement," Reategui said. "We put them behind us; all we have to do is close out the season. It's a great win."

The teams battled a torn-up field as much as they did each other at times, with even the simplest ball on the ground turned into a challenge by the mud and divots in the middle of the field caused by wear and tear during the rainy spring.

Broad Run was infinitely more comfortable on its home turf, relying more on the long ball and less on anything built with passes on the ground. Meanwhile, Loudoun County struggled to put much together.

Brown was challenged early and often by the Spartans, mostly through set pieces and throw-ins. And although the University of Virginia commitment was, for the most part, up to the challenge, his eagerness to leave his line nearly caused some problems.

The Spartans finally broke through on the junior with 6 minutes 52 seconds remaining in the half, when a long ball soared over the head of a Raiders defender and bounced in front of Reategui, who looked up and touched the ball over the head of Brown, who was forced to start coming out of the net and was left with nothing to do but hope as the ball dropped in under the crossbar.

"Honestly, I thought I was offside when I first saw it," Reategui said. "But I saw him coming, I was onside and I just chipped it over."

Reategui's penalty kick doubled the lead less than 10 minutes into the second half. But Loudoun County pulled back to within one with less than eight minutes remaining in the game when a long throw into the box bounced around and was finished by Ben Forbes.

But unlike the last time these two teams met, when Loudoun County rallied from two down for a 3-2 win, Broad Run held on, and now has only to protect its lead in the district standings.

"We're confident," Broad Run Coach Jonathan Hicks said. "The boys go out every day and they think we're going to win, and I know every day that we can and will win. You can look at all their left wrists and it [says] '09.' [When] we played Heritage, it was '04 I wrote on there with a Sharpie; it was the last time that we won the Dulles District. And now we're '09, so we're going to go ahead and act like it's ours and play like it's ours."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks