One Crown Down, Two to Go

Mustangs Claim Championship, Avenge ’03 Loss

Goals from sophomore Mike Chaves and junior Adam Knudsen accounted for the 2-0 margin of victory, as senior goalie Alex Fatovic, later named the Bull Run District Player of the Year, recorded seven saves to shutout the Eagles and secure the championship.

Chaves opened the scoring in the 18th minute on a 27-yard free kick from the left side of the field. As the Clarke keeper lined up the player wall on the near post, Chaves bent a shot into the lower right corner, opposite the keeper.

With a one goal lead, the play began to take a physical turn with Clarke County apparently mistaking Mason mid-fielder Andrew Montgomery for a rag doll, repeatedly charging the persistent Mustang and undercutting him on 50-50 balls. Despite the bumps and bruises, Montgomery never wavered in his effort, controlling the middle of the pitch and was ultimately rewarded when the referee handed out a string of yellow cards to Clarke’s players during the game.

Knudsen scored the insurance goal, the first of his career, in the 58th minute, battling for possession on the right flank, beating two defenders on sheer effort and luring the goaltender out of the net before launching a shot into the short side of the net.

Fatovic made sure that two goals would be enough, quickly squelching every scoring opportunity for the Eagles. The Mustangs received a bit of a scare when mid-way through the second half, Fatovic took a flying body-cross from Clarke County’s leading scorer, Gavin Kashani, after the goaltender beat the forward to a long pass. Fatovic got the ball, and Kashani got a yellow card as Fatovic went down in a heap, remaining on the ground for several minutes while being examined by the team trainer — all the while clutching the ball to his chest.

While the Mustangs left the field with the hardware, the Clarke County parents simply had to leave the field. After several warnings for lewd conduct, the referee finally expelled the Clarke parents and fans from the bleachers behind the benches and waited ten minutes as they removed themselves from the premises.

“This is a gentlemen’s game, played by ladies and gentlemen,” Head Coach Art Iwanicki said. “There’s a rule that you cannot condescend the official. You just can’t do it.”

Mason Begins Regional Quest

Coming off a gritty, 2-0 win over rival Clarke County on Friday, the George Mason boys soccer team stormed into the Regional Tournament with an 11-goal decimation of Riverheads Tuesday.

Four years ago when Mason met Riverheads in a regional match, Riverheads scored a mere 18 seconds into the game. From there the Mustangs tightened the screws and didn’t allow a shot on goal the rest of the game en route to a 4-1 victory. Four years and eighty minutes later, Riverheads is still looking for its second goal against the Mustangs.

The outcome was decided early on, with senior Peter Hamill’s goal (his first of four) drawing first blood four minutes into the match with junior Ariel Toom and senior Dittmar following with markers of their own within the next ten minutes of play.

Dittmar added a goal off his back heel to put Mason up 6-0 and a pair of goals by Peter Hamill pushed the lopsided game to 8-0 at the half. Toom opened the scoring in the second half, lacing a shot to the roof of the netting after dancing past a series of defenders in the goal box. Senior Brian O’Connor closed the book in the 68th minute with a goal off an assist by sophomore Sean Nannery.

“We were able to take the ball away from them a lot,” Head Coach Art Iwanicki said. “And our one-on-one play was just superior.”

The 11-0 final score is the second largest margin of victory Iwanicki has ever been a part of in his 31-year coaching tenure, and the win further illustrates the dominance of Bull Run District Soccer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The top-seeded team from the district has won the state crown every season except last year, when Nandua beat Clarke County in the finals. Clarke eliminated Mason in the Bull Run District Finals last season.

Mason will now travel to face Goochland Thursday in the Region B Semifinals. Wins on Thursday and Friday will guarantee the Mustangs a bye into the State Tournament Semifinals.