Doak's Late Rebound Advances Hornets, 1-0
HERNDON, VA - Through 75 minutes Herndon did not look like Virginia's top ranked high school boys soccer team.
Then, as dark clouds gathered overhead, the Hornets showed their mettle-- not to mention speed-- as a flurry of runs culminated in a late Anatole Doak game-winner that sent Herndon past Fairfax to the tune of 1-0, and into the Concorde District finals.
Herndon head coach Sean Lanigan attributed this to his No. 1 ranked team (National Soccer Coaches of America Association) spreading out Fairfax late in the second half.
"We opened up, really trying to stretch the ball down the flanks," Lanigan said, "and opened up lanes for Sean (Murnane) ... utilizing the flank play was key."
While Murnane was able to crack four shots on goal, none of them hit the net. As the clocked ticked down inside the final three minutes, it seemed Fairfax might survive the incessant late siege and take Herndon into overtime.
That was when Herndon capitalized on a free kick off the left edge of the penalty box as senior center midfielder Anatole Doak connected with a rebound from the keeper, sending it to the left side of the net with 2:02 left.
"(Alex) Darwiche served a great ball in," Doak said. "As soon as Christian (McLaughlin) got a head to it, I knew I had to follow up cause Christian could get there ... Luckily it just fell right to my feet."
Lanigan saw a fire in his team during crunch time; "They saw the clock, and they knew time was ticking."
However, for three-fourths of the match Herndon's offense waffled. In the mean time sophomore keeper Alex Stopa and the Hornet defense held down the fort.
"Luke Merrill bodied them up in the second half and didn't let them get anything, and same with Eric Meyers in the first half," Stopa said. "We were tough in the air, not letting (Fairfax striker Lonnie Carter) turn on the ball and just forcing him out wide and double-teaming him."
Lanigan made Carter a focus of his defensive strategy.
"He's a great striker," Lanigan said, "and their whole game plan was to counterattack off the goalkeeper punt."
"Any time the ball was bouncing, (Hornet senior Chris Geyer) was there to clean it up."
Herndon now heads to Wesfield High School on Friday to play a team that was ranked first in the state just a few weeks ago-- the Westfield Bulldogs.
Even though Herndon is the district's top-seeded team and has to play what will essentially be a road game, Lanigan still sees this as an advantage.
This is, ironically, due to Westfield's turf.
"Westfield's a better pitch," Lanigan said. "We play a much better game if we're on a good surface because we have the ability to knock it around."
Friday's Concorde District finals match is scheduled for 8 p.m.
