T.C. Williams 3, West Springfield 2
By Rich Campbell
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The T.C. Williams boys' soccer team ended West Springfield's Virginia AAA title reign last night only after surviving a furious rally typical of a championship team facing defeat.
In the 75th minute, less than seven minutes after West Springfield had overcome a two-goal second-half deficit to tie the game, T.C. Williams midfielder Cutler Dawson scored on a penalty kick to lift the fifth-seeded Titans to a 3-2 road victory in the first round of the Patriot District tournament.
"We knew they were going to come out firing [in the second half]," Dawson said. "West Springfield has always been a dynasty, kind of, through regionals and states and stuff. This was the worst-case scenario we saw in the second half."
The Titans (7-7-3) clinched a berth in next week's Northern Region tournament with the victory, while fourth-seeded West Springfield (7-7), which won three state titles in the last four years, completed its season.
T.C. Williams led 2-0 by the 33rd minute after goals by defender Ahmed Deen and forward Milton Fuentes. The Titans, though, were anything but comfortable.
"We knew they were going to come at us," T.C. Williams Coach Marty Nickley said. "We were just hoping that we could hold them off, which we had a difficult time doing there."
The defending champs controlled the play for almost the entire second half, outshooting the Titans 10-2. Spartans forward Josh Czajkowski halved the deficit by scoring on a rebound in the 45th minute. And when midfielder A.J. Grillo tied the game in the 68th minute, it seemed as if West Springfield had taken control.
"I thought our guys fought back and pretty much owned the second half," West Springfield Coach Andy Saffron said. "I felt like the way we were playing, if we didn't get another one [in regulation], we would get another one in overtime."
T.C. Williams midfielder Santigie Kamara, though, mounted a rare counterattack and was fouled in the penalty area. Dawson relieved the injured Kamara and delivered the winning goal.
"I just have one kick that I practice, and I went with it," Dawson said. "We were lucky to get that foul."