By Sam Dowell
Fairfax High Senior, DigitalSports
Intern
In a game where three late-game goals were scored, Fairfax accounted for two of them to emerge with a 3-2, overtime victory over visiting Washington-Lee on Tuesday night.
The game started with the Generals controlling the
tempo, slowing the game down and forcing a flurry of goal kicks in the
opening moments of the match. The Rebels countered with a
physicality that they would continue to display throughout the entire game.
Things started to get interesting about three minutes before half time.
That's when Fairfax senior captain Dan
Arriola, the leader of the Rebels' defense, was called for a yellow card on
a hard-hitting tackle about 30 yards from Fairfax’s goal. Arriola had to be replaced
on the field, but was allowed to come back on at the next substitution.
The penalty call gave Washington-Lee a direct kick, which after bouncing around a bit went off a Rebel player out-of-bounds
to give the Generals a corner kick.
Fairfax, without its captain in the back, struggled to
find its marks. Washington-Lee's corner kick bent in nicely at the 6-yard box where
a wide-open General found it and headed it into the net.
Despite an evenly-played first half, the Rebels found them down by one as the
half time as the whistle blew a minute later.
After the break Fairfax switched its formation to a 3-5-2
with the intent of controlling the midfield and generating more offense. The
change paid dividends 10 minutes in when senior Lonnie Carter got the ball on a breakaway and it took it to goal,
slipping a shot past the Generals' goal keeper to knot the score at 1.
Washington-Lee threatened again 10 minutes later with a
cross that pulled Fairfax goal keeper Brian Hallahan
off his line. Hallahan, making his first start of the season, was
taken out on the play leaving an open net. In a frantic scramble the Generals
were able to knock it in and take the lead for the second time.
The Rebels, trying to avoid a fifth straight
loss, knew they had to make a comeback. So the aforementioned Carter decided to
carry the team on his shoulders.
With just under two minutes left in regulation, Carter receiving the ball on his feet
at midfield as he moved toward the Generals' goal, escaping defender after
defender. His glorious run ended with a blast past the keeper, to tie the game
at 2 with 1:24 remaining on the clock.
The Rebels' crowd went wild, excited for the first overtime game of the season. With the support of
its fans, Fairfax kept the pressure on Washington-Lee from the start.
Freshman Kevin Arraya broke through
a core of the Generals' defenders and dribbled down the right sideline.
With the crowd cheering Arraya on, he crossed the ball to an open Adam Ballard, who blasted it in to the
net for the winning goal. Fairfax protected its lead until the final whistle
sounded and celebrated an improbable come-from-behind victory by scoring two
goals in the final five minutes of play.