After last year’s controversial loss to Clarke County, this season’s showdown between the George Mason High School boys soccer team and their rival promised a high adrenaline rematch. That much was delivered, along with more controversy.
With six state troopers on hand and in front of a raucous Clarke home crowd, the Mustangs maintained their composure and held on to tie the Eagles 1-1, with a questionable penalty kick providing Clarke County’s only goal.
The penalty kick came in the twentieth minute, and while senior goalie Alex Fatovic got a hand on it, it couldn’t keep it from hitting the nylon behind him, giving Clarke a 1-0 lead.
Despite a showboat celebration and continual harassment by a rowdy home Clarke County crowd, the Mustangs maintained their composure and rallied back.
Fatovic anchored the defensive effort, recording 12 saves during the course of two halves and two overtimes, including one stop that Head Coach Iwanicki, believes changed the momentum.
“That was a world class save,” Iwanicki said. “It was a save you don’t expect a high schooler to make.”
In the 40th minute forward Nils-Peter Ek penetrated the Clarke defense to equal the score at 1-1. The Mustangs continued the pressure but couldn’t finish, ringing the post several times. Despite the outcome, Iwanicki was pleased with his team’s performance in the hostile venue.
“It was sort of a super-charged environment,” he said. “It’s been ten months since a bad result there. At the end of the game, the Clarke County vice principal came over and congratulated our kids for their composed performance.”
The two teams meet again May 11 at GMHS, Senior Day for the Mustangs.
Tuesday, however, presented an immediate opportunity for the team to take out its aggression, athletically anyway, and the Mustangs leapt at the opportunity, battering Madison County to the tune of 7-0.
GMHS wasted no time, striking first 40 seconds into the game on a goal by Ariel Toom with assists from Peter Dittmar and Pete Hamill. It was Hamill’s first game back following a suspension for an earlier off-field incident.
“It feels great [to be back],” Hamill said. “I haven’t played since March and I’ve just been storing up energy.”
Mason poured it on, running the score to 4-0 at the half, with additional goals by Josiah Larson, on a deflection from a mid-field free-kick, a blast from the top of the box by Dittmar and a penalty kick by sophomore Mike Chaves as time expired. Hamill got his first goal since returning in the 52nd minute off an assist from Gregg Curtain, while Ek and Curtain closed out the scoring for the Mustangs. Paul Arnaudo added two assists, and Andrew Montgomery also added a helper.
Fatovic was rarely troubled and needed only four saves to record the shutout, though near the 10 minute mark a Madison breakaway required him to scramble out and make a sliding deflection.