Two Pre-Season Northern Region Favorites Square Off on a Blustery Nigh

Bulldog senior Nick Giffen is smothered by a half dozen teammates -- and a lot of hair -- after scoring the eventual game-deciding goal in Thursday's win at Herndon.

By Phil Murphy
Content Editor, DigitalSports.com

**Video player with complete game highlights and post-game footage is posted below. Re-live the game in 16 minutes.**

One day after Ryan Giggs was robbed of a game-winning goal by John Terry's saving header in the second half of overtime in the Champions League final, Stone Bridge midfielder Nicholas Giffen appeared destined for the same fate by way of Herndon defender Luke Merrill.

Merrill headed a certain Giffen score off the goal line in the 45th minute to momentarily preserve a scoreless tie in Thursday's Northern Region quarterfinal.

But the Hornet impetus was stopped one minute later when, from nearly the same spot at the corner of the penalty area, Giffen blasted what proved the game-winner into the back of the net for a 1-0 Bulldog win, propelling Stone Bridge to Regional semifinals.

"It was from Abdul [Shaban]'s cross," said Giffen, visually acknowledging each of his teammates as he named them. "Once I saw it going in, I got really happy. But that defender cleared it out of nowhere and I was really upset.

"[The goal] was extremely nice. It was a great ball from Ronnie [Shaban], good leave by Mike Herndon. I saw the goalie was on the near post, so I put it back post."

Added fourth-year Coach Randy May: "It was like an omen. I knew it was coming."

Herndon, one of the most potent offenses in the Region, had their best scoring opportunity in the first half on cross by junior Sean Murnane that senior Anatole Doak – who scored twice in the Hornets' 4-1 opening-round win over Edison – had denied by a diving Stone Bridge goalkeeper Matt Miscione.

Miscione recorded three saves, none bigger than his aforementioned 35th-minute gem, on his way to a clean sheet.

"I told him before the game that he had to be a man," said May, whose Bulldogs had one-day rest after a first-round, 1-0 win over West Potomac on Wednesday. "I told him he had to step up and have an A-plus-plus game, that they were going to come at us and that they have people that can shoot from outside the 18 and take chances. He assured me he was going to bring his A-plus-plus game.

"He knew he had to play sharp."

Miscione's play in the net, coupled with the organized Bulldog efforts to slow Murnane proved too much for the short-handed Hornets, who were without the services of several players due to injury.

The most notable absence on the field – but not the sideline – was senior Eric Meyers, who broke his left leg in the 76th minute of the Edison game.

"That's where the goal came from," Herndon coach Sean Lanigan said. "They put [Giffen] on that side for a reason. That No. 22, they put the ball up on that side to exploit Carson [Richards], who hasn't played much all season. Eric is a smart player and was a good defender.

"Eric did hurt. It definitely was hole, but you can't say Carson was at fault."

Among the preseason favorites to vie for a state championship, Herndon must now rebuild as it loses 12 seniors to graduation, including the Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, Christian McLaughlin (University of Virginia).

"Our seniors are hurting," Lanigan said. "They left a legacy here. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to get a banner, bring back Herndon some pride. They accomplished that.

"I told them, 'One day, you can come back here and you're going to remember the season we had, not the what-if one game.'"

While the Hornet season commences, the Liberty District runner-up Bulldogs march one step closer to claiming their own banner. Stone Bridge advances to play Yorktown – and Northern Region Player of the Year junior Alex Herrera, a former member of the U-17 National Team – in the regional semifinals on May 28 at Yorktown.

"Right now, I'm just glad to be going to the semifinals. I don't care who it is," said May, who won three state titles at West Springfield in his four-year tenure, ending in 2004. "I know Yorktown's field is big… I don't care which team we play, as long as we find some success in the semis and get ourselves to the next step."

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

                    1 2 -- F
Stone Bridge   0 1 -- 1
Herndon          0 0 -- 0

GOALS:
SB- Giffen (46)

Boys' Playoff Soccer: Stone Bridge 1, Herndon 0

Two Pre-Season Northern Region Favorites Square Off on a Blustery Night in Herndon

Published: 05/23/2008

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Boys' Playoff Soccer: Stone Bridge 1, Herndon 0 Two Pre-Season Northern Region Favorites Square Off on a Blustery Night in Herndon Published: 05/23/2008 Bulldog senior Nick Giffen is smothered by a half dozen teammates -- and a lot of hair -- after scoring the eventual game-deciding goal in Thursday's win at Herndon. By Phil Murphy Content Editor, DigitalSports.com Video player with complete game highlights and post-game footage is posted below. Re-live the game in 16 minutes. One day after Ryan Giggs was robbed of a game-winning goal by John Terry's saving header in the second half of overtime in the Champions League final, Stone Bridge midfielder Nicholas Giffen appeared destined for the same fate by way of Herndon defender Luke Merrill. Merrill headed a certain Giffen score off the goal line in the 45th minute to momentarily preserve a scoreless tie in Thursday's Northern Region quarterfinal. But the Hornet impetus was stopped one minute later when, from nearly the same spot at the corner of the penalty area, Giffen blasted what proved the game-winner into the back of the net for a 1-0 Bulldog win, propelling Stone Bridge to Regional semifinals. "It was from Abdul [Shaban]'s cross," said Giffen, visually acknowledging each of his teammates as he named them. "Once I saw it going in, I got really happy. But that defender cleared it out of nowhere and I was really upset. "[The goal] was extremely nice. It was a great ball from Ronnie [Shaban], good leave by Mike Herndon. I saw the goalie was on the near post, so I put it back post." Added fourth-year Coach Randy May: "It was like an omen. I knew it was coming." Herndon, one of the most potent offenses in the Region, had their best scoring opportunity in the first half on cross by junior Sean Murnane that senior Anatole Doak – who scored twice in the Hornets' 4-1 opening-round win over Edison – had denied by a diving Stone Bridge goalkeeper Matt Miscione. Miscione recorded three saves, none bigger than his aforementioned 35th-minute gem, on his way to a clean sheet. "I told him before the game that he had to be a man," said May, whose Bulldogs had one-day rest after a first-round, 1-0 win over West Potomac on Wednesday. "I told him he had to step up and have an A-plus-plus game, that they were going to come at us and that they have people that can shoot from outside the 18 and take chances. He assured me he was going to bring his A-plus-plus game. "He knew he had to play sharp." Miscione's play in the net, coupled with the organized Bulldog efforts to slow Murnane proved too much for the short-handed Hornets, who were without the services of several players due to injury. The most notable absence on the field – but not the sideline – was senior Eric Meyers, who broke his left leg in the 76th minute of the Edison game. "That's where the goal came from," Herndon coach Sean Lanigan said. "They put [Giffen] on that side for a reason. That No. 22, they put the ball up on that side to exploit Carson [Richards], who hasn't played much all season. Eric is a smart player and was a good defender. "Eric did hurt. It definitely was hole, but you can't say Carson was at fault." Among the preseason favorites to vie for a state championship, Herndon must now rebuild as it loses 12 seniors to graduation, including the Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, Christian McLaughlin (University of Virginia). "Our seniors are hurting," Lanigan said. "They left a legacy here. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to get a banner, bring back Herndon some pride. They accomplished that. "I told them, 'One day, you can come back here and you're going to remember the season we had, not the what-if one game.'" While the Hornet season commences, the Liberty District runner-up Bulldogs march one step closer to claiming their own banner. Stone Bridge advances to play Yorktown – and Northern Region Player of the Year junior Alex Herrera, a former member of the U-17 National Team – in the regional semifinals on May 28 at Yorktown. "Right now, I'm just glad to be going to the semifinals. I don't care who it is," said May, who won three state titles at West Springfield in his four-year tenure, ending in 2004. "I know Yorktown's field is big… I don't care which team we play, as long as we find some success in the semis and get ourselves to the next step." Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com 1 2 -- F Stone Bridge 0 1 -- 1 Herndon 0 0 -- 0 GOALS: SB- Giffen (46)
PHOTOS (click here for all photos)