THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 1, 1996 TAG: 9606010363
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FALLS CHURCH LENGTH: 61 lines
For the second consecutive year, the Cox girls soccer team had a shot at making the Group AAA state final. But Friday afternoon against Northwest Region champion Hylton, the Falcons' offense never came up with the shots and fell 2-0 at Falls Church High.
Hylton (16-2-1) advanced to the championship match against Northern champ Robinson (21-1-1), a 7-0 winner over James River in the day's first semifinal.
Eastern Region winner Cox (19-4) managed only three shots on goal and looked out of sync against a Bulldog defense that has shut out 13 opponents this season. Robin Dwyer almost broke the Falcons' drought late in the second half when she had keeper Brooke Warner beat, but her cross ended up of bounds.
``She played it the way she should have,'' said Falcons coach Terri Sawyer. ``She beat the girl, the keeper was out, she looked up. The ball was at least on goal. She kept her composure and you can't ask for much more except the ball to go in the goal.''
That looked like it would be easy against Warner, who appeared to be slowed by a knee brace, but the Hylton defense protected her well.
``I wish we could go back and play it again,'' said sophomore defender Katie Kubic. ``We needed to start molding. I felt like we weren't clicking out there just yet. We had spurts, but we never put them all together.''
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, didn't produce an offensive fest either, behind a powerful Cox midfield led by Natalie Stumpf. But Hylton gained the advantage in the 23rd minute when Jennie Seidel's corner kick took a wicked curve inward, giving her the goal unassisted.
The Falcons survived some early trickery by Hylton when Heather McLelland booted her corner kick to the backfield, an unmarked Christy Reynolds lofted it and Carolyn Marin headed it - into the crossbar. Hylton outdid Cox with corners 9-1.
The Bulldogs continued to press with pretty crosses and precise passes but keeper Laura McFerrin came up with some beauties of her own - 10 saves to keep it close. It's a style that senior defender Cara Reske said Cox hadn't seen much of in going unbeaten during the regular season in the Beach District.
``The teams we play against in the Beach, they don't pass around quite as much,'' she said.
Hylton iced it when Katie Etter was called for a violation in the box, and Christy Yacono beat McFerrin on a penalty kick.
Afterward, Etter shed some tears, not so much for the loss, but for the end of a season that had Cox ranked No. 1 in the area.
``I'm going to miss it,'' she said. ``It's upsetting that it's over; this is the last game of high school. But overall, I think we had a great season and I think we played well in this game.'' ILLUSTRATION: GROUP AAA STATE SOCCER
Hylton 2, Cox, 0
MIKE HEFFNER
The Virginian-Pilot
A disconsolate Kim Iman mirrors the mood of the Cox High School
girls soccer team in the aftermath of Friday afternoon's loss to
Northwest Region champion Hylton in the Group AAA state semifinals
at Falls Church. by CNB