Woodbridge blanks Osbourn Park
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By BEN TRITTIPOE
For the News & Messenger
Published: April 1, 2008
Woodbridge just might be that team in 2008. The Vikings came to Manassas Tuesday night and used a stout defense along with an opportunistic offense to defeat the host Yellow Jackets, 2-0, in a non-district contest at Al Crow Stadium.
“It’s early in the year, but it’s always nice to get a win here,” Woodbridge coach Don Allen said. “When I took this job four years ago, someone asked me what we had to do to succeed. I responded, ‘Beat Osbourn Park and Forest Park,’ and that hasn’t changed.”
Utilizing its better foot speed, Woodbridge (2-0) controlled the pace of play through much of the first half. The Vikings got off four shots in the first 18 minutes, but they could not find a way to put the ball past OP senior goalkeeper Joey Dennis.
Woodbridge finally solved that problem in the 29th minute. A bouncing ball outside the Osbourn Park (1-1-2) penalty area was misplayed by a Yellow Jacket defender, allowing Viking senior Mar-dong Guevara to gain possession. Guevara maneuvered past another OP defender and sent a low 18-yard shot under a diving Dennis and inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.
The Vikings could have made it 2-0 in the 35th minute when senior Brian Lybert was tackled on the edge of the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded. Lybert struck a solid ball toward the lower-right corner of the goal, but Dennis dove and knocked the ball away for a crucial save, one of his three on the night.
“Joey kept us in the game with that save,” Osbourn Park coach Larry Nemerow said. “There was a chance for us to seize the momentum at that point, but we weren’t able to do it.”
The Vikings carried their one-goal advantage into the second half and doubled their margin in the 46th minute. Senior Gabriel Mesquita played a ball up the right side to Lybert, who saw his 15-yard shot saved by Dennis. But Dennis could not control the ball and junior Henock Mesfin darted in, took the ball toward the end line on the left side and placed a shot inside the right post for a 2-0 Woodbridge lead.
“Those were bad mistakes made by our defense, but you have to give Woodbridge credit because they took advantage of them,” Nemerow said. “We knew they were fast, but their speed still caught us off guard at times. They got their chances and they finished.”
After the second Woodbridge goal, OP began to play with more urgency.
The Yellow Jackets got a break when Lybert was issued a red card in the 57th minute, forcing the Vikings to play a man down for the final 22 minutes. But the Woodbridge defense, led by seniors Josh Christian and Tyler Bush and sophomore goalkeeper Chris Drisko (four saves), stood its ground and limited the Yellow Jackets to just three shots down the stretch.
“Our defense is our strength,” Allen said. “Those four guys in the back set the bar high for eve-ryone else. Christian and Bush are exceptional players, but they all work very well together.”
Nemerow acknowledged his team may not be as talented as last year’s group, but he still believes this Yellow Jacket squad will be a force to be reckoned with.
“This is a different group from the one we had the past three years,” Nemerow said. “They’re good kids, but they need to learn how to have intensity in the right situations and take advantage of opportunities. This group wants to be a good team, they just have to learn how.”
Heading into his team’s Cardinal District opener with Gar-Field on Friday, Allen is pleased with how the Vikings are playing.
“The defense is there, but we still need to develop a more cohesive offense,” Allen said, noting the Vikings have outscored their opposition 8-0 thus far. “Our transition from defense to offense needs to get better, but I’m confident we’re not far away.”
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