Was Battlefield worried? Oh yeah.
By Jeff Malmgren
Franco Buzzalino feared for his Battlefield Bobcats if this game were to extend into overtime.
After they had squandered scoring opportunities in the second half and relinquished a two-goal lead, the Bobcat standout thought it possible that Fauquier would pull out an upset win if given extra time.
So, to avoid that fate, Buzzalino ended the game in regulation, scoring the decisive goal with 25.7 seconds remaining and giving Battlefield a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals of the Cedar Run District boys soccer tournament quarterfinals.
"It was either a goal or we lost, pretty much. We weren’t expecting [Fauquier] to come so hard at us," Buzzalino said afterward. "I just thought there was not a lot of time left and I just had to make the best of what I had."
Second-seeded Battlefield (14-2-0 overall, 7-1-0 district) earned a district semifinal against No. 3 Osbourn Park, while No. 7 Fauquier's season ends with a 5-9-1 record (3-8-1 district).
"We were competitive in every game, it’s just one of those season we ended up on the wrong side," FHS coach Phillip Roper said.
Buzzalino ended the Falcons' season after gathering a through ball near the right sideline, one similar to the many opportunities Battlefield failed to capitalize on after halftime. Facing one defender, the left-footed midfielder faked a move upfield before cutting back to the inside, He then faked a cross pass and instead launched a shot from nearly 20 yards out.
Buzzalino's ball carried right-to-left and zipped past a diving Jose Guzman, Fauquier's goalkeeper, into the top of the net.
"He’s a good player. He’s one of those that can finish that," Roper said. "We played as good of defense as we could play.
"It’s just...an outstanding shot."
Had Battlefield played that through ball one minute earlier, Buzzalino wouldn't have even been on the field. He received a yellow card with 2:19 left in the second half and returned to the field only a few seconds prior to scoring the game-winner...
See the Friday print edition of the Fauquier Weekend for the complete story.