ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290133
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
From the William Byrd perspective, the boys' soccer game began with 2 minutes, 21 seconds elapsed in the second half. For Virginia of Bristol, that juncture marked the beginning of a one-way trip to oblivion.
The outcome was a 5-1 victory for the host Terriers in a Group AA quarterfinal, but that result didn't start coming into focus until later in the game.
But not much later.
``I didn't know that us scoring like that was going to make them that mad,'' said Bearcats coach Mike Locke, who defied a chilly night that ended in misty drizzle by wearing shorts, short sleeves and a Tom Kite-style straw hat.
Virginia (9-7-1) had gone into intermission down 2-0 after having been outshot 9-4 and generally bottled up in its end of the field. Jeff Highfill, Byrd's coach, was not particularly impressed with that statistical domination.
``I wasn't real pleased,'' he said. ``I think we were kind of like feeling them out, which isn't the way you should be playing in the state tournament.''
The first-half Byrd goals had come from sophomore Chris Dowdy and senior Michael Berry, who was just getting started on a highly productive evening.
Berry went on to score three times after the break en route to his first four-goal game in state competition. Berry is having an astounding year, which Tuesday night's action only served to underscore. To date, he has 28 goals and 28 assists.
In retrospect, the quick second-half goal by the Bearcats' Alex Walls served as a powerful tonic for the Terriers (16-3).
``We had been coasting, going through the motions,'' Berry said. ``That showed us that we could be beaten.''
``Could be'' turned into not a chance in short order. Byrd kept attacking in waves and maintained the pressure with liberal substitutions. Virginia, meanwhile, was running out of adequate means of response.
``I think we got a little leg-weary,'' Locke said. ``We beat Christiansburg in triple overtime in the opening round of Region IV, then lost to Blacksburg in triple overtime in the final.''
Blacksburg, which beat Salem 1-0 in another quarterfinal Tuesday night, will entertain Byrd in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday.
One indication of the way in which the Terriers dominated their game with Virginia was Byrd's 27-11 advantage in shots taken. Actually, it could have been worse. Byrd's players got to loose balls quicker and generally moved better than their counterparts from Bristol.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB