Girls Soccer: Briar Woods Claims No. 2 Seed in Dulles and Rolls into Playoffs on 8-game Unbeaten Streak

Special to VivaLoudoun

(May 18, 2011) - The Briar Woods High School girls soccer team beat Potomac Falls Tuesday night, 3-0, to wrap up a 11-3-2 regular-season record, their best in school history. The win knocked rivals Freedom and Loudoun County out of a second place tie and vaulted the Falcons from fourth to second overall in the Dulles District behind regular season champion Broad Run.

The Falcons fly into postseason on an 8-game unbeaten streak, not having lost since April 15, and during that span the team handed Broad Run its only district defeat in four years.

Tuesday's game began with aggressive play on both sides of the ball and Potomac created early opportunities by pushing the ball on deep slants with forwards breaking. The Falcon defenders were equal to the test on most every chance as the Panthers only got a couple clean shots away.
Briar Woods had their own chances and as the half moved along, their chances became more creative and more frequent.

With just over three minutes left to play in the first, a corner was awarded to the Falcons and with the ball falling and bouncing just outside the box, sophomore defender Tori Panzica charged through the ball, pushing it deep into the defensive battle line and to freshman forward Alexis Haycraft who two touched it through the keeper's hands.

Thirty seconds later junior Lina Granados would carry from midfield with chants from somewhere in the stands yelling “keep going, keep going”. Granados shifted left then touched the ball sweetly with the outside of her right foot to finish brilliantly for a 2-0 lead.

Another goal would be called back and the half ended on a disputed call from the officials.

The second half began much like the first with Briar Woods applying pressure on the Panther midfield and defenders and Potomac Falls creating only random chances. One of those chances came with 17 minutes left when a Panther forward was able to penetrate the Falcon end and get a rocket of a shot off that Falcon keeper Cloe Barnes dove to collect for her biggest threat on the night.

With only 9 minutes left to play Shell Davis would find Granados pushing up the right side who carried to the corner and crossed into the box where Haycraft touched it out to midfielder Kaleigh Chiodinin for the only score in the second half and completing the shutout of 3-0.

The Falcons and Panthers face each other again this Friday in the Dulles District quarterfinals for their third meeting in 11 days with the Falcons owning the first two games.