Stone Bridge soccer sweeps Robinson
By Jason S. Rufner
The Stone Bridge soccer squads both scored near the end of regulation to pick up impressive victories versus traditional powerhouse Robinson on a blustery evening in Ashburn March 28.
The boys won 3-2, while the girls collected a 1-0 victory.
The girls took the field to a chilling wind in the nightcap of the varsity doubleheader. The two teams evidently wanted to keep warm, each side running up and down the field, showering the opposing goalkeeper with shots.
Bulldog freshman Blaire Brady and the Rams' Katherine Yount stopped flurries of shots in the first half with neither side scoring.
Play slowed as the match aged and defenses stiffened. Bulldog girls' coach Rae Ann Taylor credited Lindsay Henry and Jazmyn Ervins for spearheading Stone Bridge's defensive effort against Robinson's tall forwards.
With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, senior midfielder Abigail Apistolas crossed a pass across Yount's view. Melony Davis collected the ball off her thigh and tucked a short grounder just under Yount's dive.
“If you give her any space in the middle,” Taylor said of the Cornell-bound Apistolas, “she'll play a perfect ball.”
The Bulldogs withstood an offensive charge by Robinson, including a near-goal with 11 seconds left when LeighAnne Baxter's looping shot fell on top of the Stone Bridge net.
The Bulldogs (2-1) held on for a solid victory over a school holding four state championships in the sport.
“Robinson's a great team with tremendous players and great speed,” Taylor said. “But I told [my players] that if they really wanted to compete, they could have a game, and they proved it.”
Athletic freshman Blaire Brady earned the shutout in goal for the Bulldogs.
On the boys' side, the Bulldogs were able to control tempo and dominate field position.
Robinson goalie Adrian Dominguez was peppered with numerous excellent scoring chances.
Stone Bridge struck early with a riser to the top shelf of the net by Nick Giffen in the sixth minute.
The Bulldogs played stout defense, making Ram passes difficult. Chris Kamara, a forward last season, was a noticeable disrupter on the defensive end.
“I don't feel threatened if we get a ball played behind us,” Stone Bridge boys’ coach Randy May said. “Chris has the ability to run things down.”
Robinson evened the score when Andrew Teran slipped a pass between two defenders, opening up a short breakaway for Alex Makcumbi, who deked Bulldog goalkeeper Matt Miscione.
Columbia-bound Ronnie Shaban, moved from defender to forward near the end of last season, connected on a penalty kick for a 2-1 advantage early in the second half.
“Ronnie's a good target player,” May said. “He's a bit more assertive in that role [of forward].”
Mike Herndon, a starting sophomore forward on a team of 12 seniors, executed several athletic moves in front of Dominguez that created opportunities, but could not finish.
The two sides kicked the ball around midfield for much of the second half before the Rams generated traffic in front of Miscione with less than 10 minutes on the clock, poking home a game-tying tally.
Overtime seemed unavoidable, but the Bulldogs returned the favor, penetrating Robinson's defense with less than five minutes remaining and getting bodies in front of Dominguez.
Wan Soo Seo, crashing the net from his defensive position, pounded in a rebound off the crossbar for the Bulldogs' winning margin.
“Intensity,” May said. “If we sit back and be passive, we're not going to be successful. We need to be aggressive.”
May hopes the signature victory is another step in the growth of the program.
“Our expectations are to try to win a district championship, and hopefully from that experience, we can make a statement in the region,” he said.
May, a three-time state champion coach at West Springfield earlier this decade, stated that this game is representative of the style he wants his Bulldogs to employ.
“By design, we try to set the tone and dictate the play, and then they have to react to us,” he said.
The win moves the Bulldogs' record to 3-0. The Bulldogs have eight returning starters from last season's 9-5-4 squad.
“I'm happy for that [3-0 start], but we're not done,” May said. “We've got some work still to do to make our game even more efficient.”