The boys soccer team became regional champions Tuesday night after beating the Gaithersburg Trojans 2-1. With this win, the Vikes advance to the state semi-finals.
Both teams looked solid in the first half with multiple scoring opportunities.
Captain midfielder Jeff Rosenberg came out exceptionally strong, controlling the ball in the middle of the field and creating several scoring chances.
The Trojans’ game plan revolved around using five defenders instead of the usual four in attempt to stop the potent Vikings attack.
This strategy proved useful throughout the first half, leaving the score tied at 0-0.
To the Vikes’ surprise, the Trojans came out of halftime firing on all cylinders.
Captain goalie Ian Atkinson was forced to make several key saves, keeping the Vikes alive and the score knotted at 0-0.
After withholding a surge of attack from the Trojans, the momentum quickly shifted in favor of the Vikings.
With 25 minutes remaining in the second half, midfielder Aaron Tanenbaum received a crisp pass in the middle of the field from midfielder George Xourias and pounded the ball into the bottom-left corner of the goal to take the lead.
Tanenbaum has proven vital in the Vikes’ playoff success, scoring goals in three of four playoff games.
Shortly following Tanenbaum’s goal, defender Ryan Rush sent a ball through the legs of a defender down the left side of the field toward forward Davey Mason. Mason quickly controlled the ball and fired a goal, putting the Vikes up 2-0.
The Trojans seemed to lose steam and the Vikes dominated until the last minute of the game, when they seceded a weak goal that, in the end, proved useless to the Trojans.
“I think our team is great at persevering in difficult situations,” Rosenberg said. “We stuck with it and eventually were able to break through.”
The boys will face off with Bladensburg in the state semi-finals next week. They’re confident in their chances going forward, even though they will be facing the best teams in the state, Rosenberg said.
“Going forward we’ll be playing teams that we’ve never seen before so we’ll have to be ready for anything,” he said.