| YOUR STARTING POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER IN VIRGINIA'S GROUP AAA EASTERN REGION |
| VHSL Group AAA GIRLS SOCCER QUARTERFINALS Retribution twice as nice for Falcons in OT Cox scores two goals in as many minutes to seal win over Forest Park BOX SCORE Doug Ripley � June 2 & 3, 2009 NORFOLK � Denesha Soto�s 77th minute goal, in most instances, would�ve ultimately flattened the spirits of Forest Park�s opponent. Apparently, that train of thought does not apply to the Cox Falcons. In fact, after the two sides finished regulation knotted at 1-1, it only motivated the Falcons to come out firing in the overtime periods. Cox (20-1-2) scored twice in the first overtime and out-shot Forest Park 7-0 in the extra frames to come away a 3-1 winner at Powhatan Field. The Falcons next get a chance to play a full match with Mills Godwin in Friday�s 4pm State Semifinal at Westfield High School. Cox and Godwin battled in torrential downpours in Virginia Beach before Mother Nature ultimately won the battle, causing the March 13 match to be halted at halftime 0-0. Cox took advantage of a goalkeeping error to score first in the sixth minute. Midfielder Beth McCabe played a ball up front, intended for Chloe Russell. Instead, the ball flew into the arms of goalkeeper Emma Kruse. When she lost grip on the ball, it hit the ground and high enough into the air for Russell to advance the ball into the net with a header. The Falcons managed to maintain the 1-0 advantage through much of regulation despite getting slightly out-possessed for much of the afternoon. Cox, who is known locally for its constant substitutions, found itself on the short end of that category Tuesday as the deeper Bruins (13-8-0) subbed even more relentlessly than the Falcons. 20 players entered the box score for David Cresswell�s side, all of whom logged at least 12 minutes. That, combined with increasing pressure on the attack, eventually resulted in a Bruins goal. Soto took a short pass from Raya Nickerson and ran it up the middle of the pitch. Just inside the box, Soto unleashed a right-footed shot outside the reach of Cox goalkeeper Rachel King as it slid into the left corner of the net. Until Soto�s equalizer, the Falcons had allowed a goal once over the previous 797 minutes � a seventh minute goal to Kempsville in the Beach District final May 21. Forest Park had also out-shot Cox 18-16 before the first of two mandatory five minute overtime periods commenced. Cox responded in a big way, beginning in the 82nd minute when a Forest Park foul near the left flank set up a free kick for the Eastern Region Champions. The ball was played into the heart of the box, and when a Bruin defender miss-hit the clearance straight into the air, Russell lobbed a header toward the left post. Camper was there to provide a header of her own � into the net for her 26th goal of the season. The Falcons struck again to deflate the visiting Bruins 2:19 later when Jessie Klamut collected the remains of a shot by Charley Martin that was cleared off the line by a Bruin defender after Kruse couldn�t hang on to the shot. Klamut, also a sophomore, logged her eighth goal of the season. King gets the victory in goal for Cox with four saves while Kruse collected eight saves for Forest Park, three in the extra sessions. Cox logged a 20-win season for the fifth time in program history including three of the past four years. Friday will also mark the Falcons� fourth consecutive appearance in the VHSL Group AAA Semifinal round. Kempsville prevails despite Mother Nature Play delayed, then halted Tuesday; Chiefs hold on for win Wednesday FREDERICKSBURG � Gabby Carragino�s 10th goal of the season Tuesday not only came in the first half for Kempsville, but between a pair of nasty thunderstorms at Riverbend High School. Allie Boubouheropoulos assisted on Carragino�s goal. The Chiefs (12-5-2), who led the Northwest Region Champion Bears in the 32nd minute when play was postponed, held serve for the remaining 48 minutes Wednesday to advance to Friday's 2pm State Semifinal against Chantilly, a 1-0 winner over Atlee. Play was delayed before the start at Riverbend nearly two hours to allow for a thunderstorm to run its course through the I-95 corridor between Washington D.C. and Richmond. When play began Tuesday night, the field was rain-soaked, playing a factor in the opening half between the two sides who both evenly possessed the ball despite the sub-par playing conditions. One night and a total of as much as four inches of rain later, play was able to resume shortly after 12:30pm at Riverbend. Despite the Bears' increase in attack out as play resumed and Kempsville getting only a handful of looks at the net, the Chiefs managed to hang on to advance to Westfield. STATE GIRLS SOCCER QUARTERFINAL MEDIA LINKS: THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Cox reaches state semifinals - by Larry Rubama THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Kempsville into state semis - by Larry Rubama POTOMAC NEWS: Bruins fall to Cox in Overtime - by Larry Rubama RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: Godwin girls overcome Oakton - by Dave Lawrence THE WASHINGTON POST: Bristol Propels Chantilly to Victory - by B.J. Koubaroulis |
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