Godwin, Cosby boys win Central Region soccer semifinals

With the humidity rising and the heat lingering, a sticky night of soccer rewarded aggressive play as Mills Godwin and Cosby punched their tickets to the state tournament.

They'll also play each other -- for the first time -- in tonight's Central Region title game.

Early rainstorms last night created tough conditions early. Each Eagles header made a splash in the small wading pool of sweat that the players had developed on their foreheads.

That didn't slow the Godwin attack, though, as Matoaca packed it in for a defensive game. The Eagles' back line poked and prodded with passes to discover the weaknesses, then exploited them in an 8-0 rout that allowed them plenty of rest for tonight's game.

The Titans came out of the gate intent on proving they could play a physical game, and dictated the tempo for most of the first half. Toward the end, Atlee swung the momentum the other way and had a number of close calls in the final minutes of a 1-0 Cosby victory. Because of an injury earlier in the second half, the game's final minutes took longer than the scoreboard indicated.

"Those last two minutes felt like two years," Cosby senior Nick DeProspero said.

He had the game's lone goal, an open shot in the 35th minute that was created by an arching pass from Kyle Forche on a breakaway.

The Titans then packed it in late, surviving the Raiders' final assault on the net. Goalie Sean Stowe punched away an Atlee attempt off a corner kick, and Luis Rendon provided the boot that cleared the ball for the last time.

Cosby coach Mike Anderson said his team has been working in the weight room to stay fit, and it paid off in the final minutes. That stamina will also be tested as the Titans turn around and play Godwin at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

It will also be Anderson's first opportunity to coach against former player Herb Modrak, who is in his second year at Godwin. In high school, Modrak played on a travel team that Anderson coached.

Modrak probably won't put too much thought into that before the game, though. He'll be too busy rooting for the Atlee girls against Mills Godwin in the night's first game. His sister Sarah is an assistant coach for the Raiders, and the siblings will aim for a 2 for 2 night.

Things won't be as easy as they were last night for the Eagles, though.

Facing a Warriors team that wanted to slow the pace, the Eagles attacked, and it paid off handsomely.

Midway through the first half Thomas Trail played a header off the crossbar, but followed up his own miss for Godwin's first goal. That was followed four minutes later by a strike from Russell Bootwright, a goal that was set up by a pair of sliding tackles from Alex Jimenez that protected the possession.

Two minutes remained before halftime when Matt Bley brought the ball under control and fired a strike through the legs of Matoaca goalie Sam Brazil.

Under heavy fire, Brazil had 10 saves. Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, Jack Van Arsdale needed to shut down two scoring chances.

The second half provided more of the same as Matt Nye scored, followed by a Garrett Harvey steal that he used to set up a goal of his own. Brian Clark added a pair, and Nolan Hagerman put in the final score with two minutes left.

Even though the Eagles scored eight goals, the final minutes were played because it was a tournament game.

It was a lofty total for the offensive-minded Eagles, but they'll face a tough test in the Titans. Even though the teams haven't met before, Clark said he won't worry too much about that.

"It's for the region, so we shouldn't have to get motivated," he said.

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or .

Matoaca ------------------------- 0 0 -- 0
Mills Godwin ------------------------- 3 5 -- 8

MG: Clark 2, Bootwright, Trail, Bley, Nye, Harvey, Hagerman

Saves: Brazil (M) 10; Van Arsdale (MG) 2

Records: Matoaca 14-4-1; Mills Godwin 16-1-2

Atlee ------------------------- 0 0 -- 0
Cosby ------------------------- 1 0 -- 1

C: DeProspero

Saves: McCabe (A) 6; Stowe (C) 6

Records: Atlee 11-4-1; Cosby 16-1-1