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Colonels end WJ’s streak

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005

Scratch one more team from the unbeaten ranks of Montgomery County Public Schools boys soccer. Last Thursday, Magruder sophomore Alex Lee scored with 9 minutes remaining in second overtime to lift the Colonels to a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Walter Johnson.

The win moved Magruder (9-2 overall, 3-2 in the Montgomery Central Division) into a second-place tie in the division, ahead of Walter Johnson (7-1-1, 2-1-1), which has a game in hand. It also means that Watkins Mill (10-0) of the East⁄West Division is the only unbeaten team left in the MCPS ranks.

The Wildcats’ Hilaire Babou opened the scoring early in the second half with a header from close range.

‘‘It was a gorgeous header,” Magruder coach Scott Alexander said. ‘‘He rose above everybody and just snapped it down. ... It was a really pretty goal.”

It was the best chance Babou had all game, with Magruder fullback Cooper Tilton marking him closely. Magruder senior Scott Phinith equalized midway through the second half on a direct free kick. By that time, the game was growing physical, with yellow cards flying. Walter Johnson was reduced to 10 men when a player received a straight red card late in the second half. Magruder capitalized in second overtime with the game-winner.

‘‘The boys were disappointed, but both teams played really well,” Walter Johnson coach Mike Williams said. ‘‘Unfortunately, we were reduced to 10 men with close to 30 minutes left. ... I thought they played well considering it was 11 on 10, especially when it’s a quality team like Magruder.”

The Wildcats’ scheduled showdown with division-leading Wootton was rained out Saturday. It has been moved to Friday at 6 p.m. Magruder played Wootton and Walter Johnson played Richard Montgomery Tuesday. Both games were on the road and finished too late to be included in this edition.

Wildebeest get down to biz

Sandy Spring Friends saw one streak end two weeks ago but kept the important one alive.

On Sept. 24, Washington Christian School scored a goal against the Wildebeest, ending a regular-season shutout streak of 626 minutes. It was the first goal surrendered by Sandy Spring during the regular season and came 37 minutes shy of the school’s all-time shutout streak, set in 2000.

In a way, though, coach Eduardo Polon viewed losing the streak as a blessing.

‘‘To be honest, the shutout streak was starting to attract unneeded attention,” Polon said. ‘‘We started focusing on those things instead of the things that matter. And it was a little unrealistic to think we could shut out every opponent this season anyway.”

The things that matter for the Wildebeest are wins, and the thing that matters most is the Potomac Valley Athletic Association title. Three more league games stand between the Wildebeest (11-0 overall, 8-0 PVAC) and the regular-season title, a prize sweeter to Polon than the tournament title won by last year’s team.

‘‘We’re very aware of what’s at stake; the banner means a lot to our program in particular,” Polon said. ‘‘We’re excited about the playoffs, too — don’t get me wrong. But they understand what the banner represents — longevity over the course of a whole season.”

Sandy Spring played Montrose Christian Tuesday in a game that finished too late to be included in this edition. Friday’s scheduled game against non-league Glenelg Country was rained out and will probably not be made up.

Wolverines wrap up division

Watkins Mill secured its second consecutive division title Monday night in style, routing Northwest, 8-0. The Wolverines (10-0 overall, 6-0 Montgomery 4A East⁄West) played its final league game against Damascus Tuesday, a game that finished too late to be included in this edition.

On Monday night, forwards Karl Digbeu and Levi Houapeu each tallied a hat trick. The Jaguars (2-6) had been seeing better results of late, but the Wolverines’ scoreboard domination shows just how locked in the team is at this point.

‘‘We’re really playing well, to be honest,” coach Jeff Heckert said. ‘‘We have four straight shutouts, and we’re playing simple. ... I hope that continues, because this is the time of year games really become crucial. We learned last year that winning the division really doesn’t mean anything.”

As good as the offense has been, Heckert feels his most important player is one who hasn’t scored a goal all season. Senior midfielder Erick Perez-Segnini was denied by the post again Monday. But the senior has taken on a more organizational role this season.

‘‘Erick is just snake-bit; he hit a rocket [Monday],” Heckert said. ‘‘He has no goals this year, but he’s done a great job of controlling the game. Erick really makes us go.”