Menchville Boys Soccer Team's Season Ends in Heartbreaking Fashion With 4-Overtime Loss To Maury

NORFOLK – The 5A South boys soccer quarterfinals got underway on Tuesday afternoon at Powhatan Field with Kecoughtan and Menchville’s season ending as Hickory and Maury earned berths to a semifinal game, which will be played on Wednesday at 7 PM at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.



The other semifinal matchup will feature Richmond teams Mills Godwin vs. Douglas Freeman at Deep Run High in Henrico County.

MENCHVILLE 4, MAURY 4 (MAURY WINS 3-1 ON PENALTY KICKS)

In a game that couldn’t be decided in regulation or four overtimes, it took a round of penalty kicks to decide the 5A South quarterfinal match between Maury and Menchville. In the end, Menchville’s season came to a bitter end as Gio Sakursky’s penalty shot sailed over the goal, capping a 3-1 win on penalty kicks for Maury.

Despite the loss, Monarch coach Brian Lybert had nothing but praise for his team. “They (Maury) fought hard. It’s the third time this season we’ve had to score in the last five minutes. I hate to see it end this way, but I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”

Lybert had hoped that his team could pull out the win in overtime because “it’s always a coin toss with penalty kicks.”

Ali Jammi appeared to put the game away in the first overtime for Maury, when his shot from 10 yards out found the net with 1:12 remaining. But Taylor Fitzgerald answered in the next minute, scoring on an indescribable shot from outside of 35 yards, one that went inches over goalie Joey Schneider’s outstretched hands.

In the last minute of the second overtime, Maury standout Shamarr Perry gained control of a breakaway pass, with only Menchville goalie Ian Fitzgerald standing between him and the goal. But Fitzgerald stopped the shot, and then the two collided, leaving both players down on the field momentarily.

Perry opened the game’s scoring at the seven-minute mark, arcing a shot from the right wing, 20 yards away, one that eluded Menchville goalie Ian Fitzgerald and found its mark.

The Monarchs tied the game midway through the first half, as a long pass snaked through the Commodore defense, and Daniel Deanhoffer outran four Maury players, gained control of the ball behind the defense and drilled an easy shot into the opposing net.

Maury’s next goal was an accident. Defender Josh Johnson’s kick from 45 yards downfield bounced toward the goal. Fitzgerald ran out from the box to collect the ball, but ran into his defender, as the ball bounced a second time over his head and into the net as the Monarch defense helplessly watched.

With just over eight minutes left in the first half, Gio Zagursky’s grounder toward the net caught the Maury goalie off guard and he stumbled to his knees before stretching out fully just in time to watch the shot roll two feet wide of the goal. Maury took a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Menchville caught a break in the second half when Deanhoffer’s corner kick reached the front of the net. In the scramble for the ball, Maury was called for a foul, setting up a penalty kick from senior defender Brad Malarky. As Maury goalie Joey Schneider hedged to the left, Malarky buried a shot into the right side of the net, tying the game at 2.

Perry kept the Monarch defense off-balance throughout the game. On one exchange, he gained control of the ball 25 yards straight in front of the goal, dribbled in a wide semi-circle to within three yards of the left post and shuffled a pass toward his teammate in the center, who shot just wide of the goal.

But it was another Maury foul that gave Menchville control of the game. With 14:04 remaining, a Commodore foul in front of the goal set up a second penalty kick, this one by senior defender. Like Malarky earlier, Gregory also aimed, and found a soft spot in the back of the right side of the net. With Gregory’s goal, the Monarchs took a 3-2 lead.

But a mental error proved to be costly for Menchville. With 6:45 left, Perry stole a pass and took a soft shot on goal, one that bounced off Fitzgerald. As the goalie rallied and went after the ball, a defender interfered and kicked the ball upfield.

However, Maury’s Tucker Sanford got a hold of the errant kick and disposed of the ball in the no open net, once again tying the game, this time at 3.


Half: Maury 2-1. Goals: Menchville, Deanhoffer, Malarky, Gregory, Fitzgerald. Maury, S. Perry, J. Johnson, Sanford, Jammi. PK: Maury 3: Perry, Boukhriss, Sanford. Menchville 1: Gregory. No other game stats available. Records: Menchville 11-4-0, Maury 14-3-1.




HICKORY 3, KECOUGHTAN 0

In the opening game, the Kecoughtan Warriors faced a daunting task, squaring off with undefeated Hickory, the #1 seed from Conference 9.

Hickory’s first viable scoring chance came in the 28th minute as midfielder Jake Pinello lofted a floater from the right side to the front of the goal where Aaron Riggs had a clear header opportunity. However, his shot was deflected off the foot of Trevor Stanius.

However, the Hawks’ persistence paid off 16 minutes later, in the form of a laser like shot from 15 yards off the right corner of the pitch, off the foot of Trey Smith, whose drive glanced off the left goalpost into the Kecoughtan net.

Hickory had other scoring opportunities in the second half, but the Warriors’ Conference 10 first team goalie Luke Messick blocked several in front of the net, keeping the game close.

Midfielder Brennen Burton had Kecoughtan’s best scoring opportunity in the second half with 17 minutes left to play, kicking a rocket from 25 yards away that sailed just right of the goal mouth.

The Hawks clinched the game when forward Joe Byrnes got between a bumbled exchange between Messick and a Warrior defender, gained control of the ball and was left with a wide open shot three feet in front of the goal, which he converted. Kristian Rinkus added a goal in the game’s final two minutes.

Half: Hickory 1-0. Goals: Hickory, Trey Smith, J. Byrnes, Rinkus. No other game stats available. Records: Hickory 15-0-0, Kecoughtan 8-8-2.



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