Regarding the boys quarter-final contest, the Mount Vernon boys did not fare as well.
The Edison Eagles, dressed in bright red shirts, pants and socks, turned back Mount Vernon 4-1, in the second game of the girls/boys doubleheader, played before about 75 spectators on a very rainy May evening.
Mount Vernon wore white shirts, white pants and Maroon socks.
“We only beat Mount Vernon 2-1 [OT] during the regular season. I respect the heck out of their coaching staff and their team,” said veteran Edison head coach Scott Racek.
When David Heller scored for the Majors (30 minutes before halftime), the scoreboard read 1-1 (John Wright assisted on the play).
However a “red card” infraction against Mount Vernon well before halftime left the Majors in the unenviable position of playing 10 versus 11 for the remaining 70 minutes or so.
Decorated head coach Racek (also the schools wrestling coach) took advantage of the opportunity.
The high-octane Eagle offense logged the games decisive goal approximately 10 minutes later.
Sophomore midfielder Billy Arnez beat the Mount Vernon “keeper” to the keepers left side – with a 15-yard right footed ground ball tally into the right corner of the goal.
By halftime, Edison led 3-1.
“In the second half, we needed to work the ball around. With Mount Vernon missing a player – due to the “red card” – we were able to play “east-west” soccer tonight” stated coach Racek (a former goalkeeper at Bucknell Univ.). (Racek is assisted by Matt Burcik and Alejandro Masias).
The Eagles also tallied one second half goal.
The third goal and the fourth goal were logged by Edison senior midfielder/tri-captain Trevor Beck.
Regarding his goal which gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead late in the first half, Beck said, “We got a ‘long’ ball from our defense and then Andy [Rodriguez] put the ball across the goal mouth and I was able to knock it in right footed from a few yards out.” Rodriguez, only a freshman, tallied goal number one for the Eagles.
In addition to Beck, the two other Edison captains include senior defenders Paul Bergstrom and Armen Mehrabian.
Edison starters included: Beck, Bergstrom, Mehrabian, Max Lopez, Andy Rasdorf, (sophomore “keeper”) Brian MicKey, Daniel Deheza, Juan Figueroa, Kevin Hernandez, A. Rodriguez and B. Arnaz.
Mount Vernon starters included: (senior “keeper”) Chris Fiscus, Alexander Baiden, Anthony Jean-Gilles, Edwin Rivera, John Wright, Dylan Bischoff, Nery Cruz-Lainez, David Heller, Benjamin Okeyre, Dannish Decardi-Nelson and Francisco Rodriguez.
Heller, only a sophomore, is one of the Majors three captains – along with Okeyre and Rivera.
“We had somewhat of a ‘lazy’ start tonight to the game, and once we were ‘red-carded’ that left a big gap in the field [which Edison was able to take advantage],” said Heller.
“Benjamin Okeyre played very well tonight. It didn’t help that our starting keeper Robert Gray blew out his knee a couple of weeks ago,” said fourth-year Mount Vernon head coach Bobby Garza, who is assisted by Chris Rodriguez and Ray Ruelas.
The Eagles were scheduled to square off with top-seeded Yorktown in the semi-finals on May 13. A win versus the Patriots will position the Eagles in the National District Title game versus the winner of the Falls Church – Wakefield semi-final contest.
On the regular season records, only reflecting National District contests and not all games played: Yorktown (6-0), Wakefield (4-1-1), Falls Church (4-2), Mount Vernon (2-4), Edison (1-3-2), Stuart (1-4-1) and Washington-Lee (1-5).
