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Battlefield scores four times in first half, ends Fauquier's season, 4-0
The Fauquier Falcons gave Battlefield reason to look at itself in the proverbial mirror earlier this season, as FHS nearly upset the Bobcats twice.
That ended up reflecting poorly on the Falcons in the playoffs Tuesday.
An inspired group, the third-seeded Bobcats dominated sixth-seeded Fauquier in Haymarket, winning their Cedar Run District boys soccer tournament quarterfinal game, 4-0, and ending the Falcons’ year. After the game Battlefield coach Ott Pimsaen pointed to the Bobcats’ last meeting with Fauquier, a 2-2 tie April 28, as a game his team should have won and a game that initiated a stretch of poor play.
“We slacked off at the tail end [of the season] which cost us,” Pimsaen said. “Now I just have the guys focused. They’re ready to play.”
Unfortunately for Pimsaen, the Bobcats ran into No. 2 seed Osbourn Park the next night in the semifinals. OP, the No. 1 team in the Washington Post rankings, ended Battlefield's season, 1-0, in a game played at FHS.
Despite Pimsaen’s disappointment in some of the Bobcats’ performances in 2009, Battlefield finished with an 11-2-3 record.
Pimsaen can look back at its games with Fauquier County teams as the reason the Bobcats' season ended short of a region playoff berth.
First there was the 2-2 with Fauquier, and then Battlefield needed a goal in the final minute to beat Liberty, 1-0, on May 1. It took overtime to beat regular season district champion Osbourn, 2-1, on May 7 and then the Bobcats lost their first game of the season May 9 to Loudoun Valley, 3-2.
Battlefield’s struggles down the stretch led to a spring cleaning of its roster.
“We had some changes in personnel that I think woke them up,” Pimsaen said. “We got rid of some players who were hurting us, a liability on the field that cost us some close games, like [against Fauquier]. We shouldn’t have tied them last time. Some guys weren’t doing their part.”
After that roster pruning, Battlefield ended the season with a pair of good games on consecutive days. They beat Stonewall Jackson, 2-1, on May 11 and tied 2008 district champion Osbourn Park, 0-0, on May 12, before peaking with its blowout tournament against Fauquier.
“This is one of our best games,” Pimsaen said Tuesday. “[Earlier in the season] no one wanted the ball in the box. Today was a big difference. Throw-ins, balls that were served in, we were attacking, getting behind their back line, and it paid off.”
Duke Mensah kicked off the scoring with a goal assisted by Chris Hernandez 9 minutes, 35 minutes into the game. Fauquier then contributed some self-inflicted pain with an own-goal at the 18:37 mark. Ryan Wagoner tried to clear the ball out of the box, but rocketed it past a surprised Fauquier goalie, Jose Guzman, to give Battlefield a 2-0 lead...
See the Friday print issue of the Fauquier Times-Democrat Weekend Edition for the complete story.
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