THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290538
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 59 lines
Cox coach Terri Sawyer and keeper Laura McFerrin could not remember the last time the Falcons endured penalty kicks until McFerrin quipped, ``I know. Yesterday in practice.''
Practice paid off as Eastern Region champion Cox defeated Northern Region runner-up and defending state champion West Springfield 1-0 in a game decided by penalty kicks in the Group AAA soccer quarterfinals Tuesday evening on the Falcons' home field.
The Falcons (19-4) advance to Friday's semifinals against either Douglas Freeman or Hylton. The game will be at 3 p.m. at Falls Church High School.
After a scoreless regulation, neither team managed a goal in two 10-minute overtimes. That meant the game had to be decided in a five-round penalty shootout. McFerrin stopped three of the five penalty shots including the last two by Colleen McIlwrath and Jamie Rozecki. Cox's Robin Dwyer, Erica Webb and Katie Etter converted their kicks to give the Falcons a 3-2 victory in the shootout.
``There was nothing I really had to work for; it was just the basics,'' said McFerrin, a senior. ``If you hate (penalty kicks), it's just going to make you worry about them. If you like them, you're confident in them; then you'll do better. So far I've done fine. I have no reason to not like them.''
In the first three rounds of penalty kicks, each team scored twice. McFerrin deflected McIlwrath's shot that went high right. Then Etter, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, blasted a high shot into the right corner to put Cox up 3-2. When McFerrin deflected Rozecki's try, Cox didn't need to go for a fifth and the jubilant Falcons swarmed her.
``Last year they had a couple shootouts and I had to sit through them and couldn't do anything about it,'' said Etter, a senior defender. ``This year it feels great to be able to do something and to be able to help the team on to state.''
The Falcons threatened often, outshooting the Spartans 16-13. Carolyn Stumpf sailed down the right sideline several times with nobody in the box to cross to.
West Springfield coach Jim Abt said the Spartans (13-5-1) were slowed by injuries and fatigue after many of his players chose to participate in an Umbro select tournament over the weekend in Maryland. ``It's very obvious you can't play five and six games over a Saturday, Sunday and Monday and expect to be effective after driving 3 1/2, four hours,'' he said.
The victory was the first for a Beach District team over a Northern opponent since the girls state tournament started in 1982. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on page C1 by HUY NGUYEN, The
Virginian-Pilot
Cox senior Katie Etter, right, celebrates after scoring the
game-winning penalty kick in Tuesday's 1-0 state soccer quarterfinal
win over West Springfield. The game was scoreless after two overtime
periods and had to be decided in a shootout, which Cox won 3-2.
Photo by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot
Heads-up play by Cox's Eric Webb, left, and West Springfield's
Claire Bourget couldn't avert this collision. by CNB