Boys’ soccer: Gonzaga upends DeMatha; Huntingtown has learned how to handle adversity
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Version 0 of 1. As had become its custom during its 24-game Washington Catholic Athletic Conference unbeaten streak, DeMatha’s boys’ soccer team got aggressive on Tuesday night. In an effort to trap archrival Gonzaga in its own end, the Stags moved defenders forward and applied pressure at the risk of leaving their own half of the field exposed. This time, the gamble backfired. Gonzaga’s Devin Stanton reached a long ball played behind the pressing DeMatha defense midway through the first half, and the junior’s goal was enough to lift Gonzaga to a 1-0 win in Hyattsville. “We knew they were going to come out hard, we knew they were going to come out pressing, and we played off of that,” senior midfielder Matthew McCann said. “We knew the long ball would be there, and it was.” In desperate search of an equalizer, DeMatha (3-2-1, 1-1 WCAC) created a number of goal-scoring chances as the second half wore on, but Gonzaga senior goalkeeper Thomas Keane charged, dove, and slid his way toward a shutout of DeMatha for the second time in his career. Keane also started in a 0-0 tie with the Stags last September. “Most people consider it an upset, but we know that we can compete with everybody,” Keane said. “It’s DeMatha, they’re our biggest rival. You always want to play your best against the best.” The win sets Gonzaga (5-3-2, 2-0 WCAC) up for a chance to win out and lock up the No. 1 seed in the WCAC playoffs – a feat that seemed unimaginable after the Eagles limped to an 0-2-2 start overall. Early on this season, Gonzaga tied rival Georgetown Prep and lost twice on a trip to Ohio and once more at the Jesuit Soccer Classic in Milwaukee. The early season travel and tribulations have made Gonzaga a tougher and more close-knit team capable of grinding out wins against like they did Tuesday night. “Most of our players came up from the JV team last year, so it was a shock to be in some of those early road games against top teams,” Keane said. “We’ve recorded a few wins in a row, and this season is starting to turn. The team’s attitude is changing. Guys were always believing, but it backs you up when you start winning.” Early on in last year’s Maryland 3A state championship game, Huntingtown thought it had opened the scoring before the assistant referee’s offside flag said otherwise. The Hurricanes felt short-changed, and as their minds focused on a call they could not control, River Hill found the game’s first goal. “When they scored, all of our heads went down,” said senior striker Anoi Hindle. “We didn’t respond. We talk about that all the time now.” Huntingtown (10-0) lost the state final 2-0 because it was beaten by the magnitude of the moment and unable to recover. In 2015, the Hurricanes have a comeback on their minds as seven returning starters are determined to prove they can survive a storm and win games after things don’t go their way. “It was definitively a great experience, because it was the first time Huntingtown boys’ soccer made it to the state final,” Hindle said. “We knew River Hill, they’re a great team. We got scored on and it kind of surprised us because we hadn’t been chasing a game before.” Hindle has been one of the area’s most prolific attacking threats so far this season with 10 goals and seven assists in 10 games. Against St. Mary’s Ryken last month, Huntingtown gave up an equalizer late in the first half before Anoi scored twice in the second half for a 3-1 victory. The seemingly insignificant non-conference victory means a lot to a team trying to become more mentally tough this season. “We were frustrated, it was the first time we had been tied at the half all season,” Hindle said. “We got angry, but in the second half it fired us up. We played really well, we dominated the whole second half. We’re stronger than we were last year.” Walter Johnson scored five goals on both Einstein and Richard Montgomery in shutout wins. . . . River Hill blanked Long Reach, 1-0, and Reservoir, 3-0. . . . Huntingtown continued to roll through the SMAC with a 2-0 win over Calvert. . . . Mount Hebron beat Marriotts Ridge, 1-0 in double-overtime behind Michael Yacynych’s game winner. . . . Good Counsel improved to 3-0 in the WCAC with a 3-0 win over McNamara. . . . Quince Orchard beat Montgomery County rival Damascus 3-1. . . . Centennial remained unbeaten with wins over Marriotts Ridge and Hammond. . . . St. Albans beat Georgetown Prep 3-1. . . . O’Connell shut out St. Mary’s Ryken 3-0. 1. Walter Johnson (9-0) Last week: 1 2. River Hill (8-1) LW: 3 3. DeMatha (3-2-1) LW: 2 4. Huntingtown (10-0) LW: 4 5. Mount Hebron (8-2) LW: 5 6. Good Counsel (5-2-1) LW: 7 7. Quince Orchard (6-0) LW: 8 8. Centennial (8-0-1) LW: NR 9. St. Albans (5-1-1) LW: 3 10. O’Connell (6-1-3) LW: 6 Dropped out: No. 9 Blair (9-1) On the bubble. Blair, South River (7-1-2), Meade (8-1), Washington International (11-0-1) Records through Tuesday. |