THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506030210
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Lake Braddock shot down Hylton's chances of a third-straight Group AAA state boys soccer title with a semifinal penalty kicks shootout victory Friday at Ocean Lakes High.
The Bruins (17-3) will face McLean - a 4-2 winner over Lafayette in the nightcap - in today's 4 p.m. championship at Ocean Lakes.
This is the first year since 1986 that a Beach District team has not participated in the Final Four. Defending runner-up Cox lost to Hylton, 1-0 in double overtime, in the quarterfinals.
Lake Braddock won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989.
With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Bruins tied the contest, 1-1, to force extra play. David Birchett sent a crossing pass from the left side to Luke Bockelmann streaking into the middle of the box for an easy goal.
Hylton (18-1-2) scored at 15:08 in the first half on Grover Gibson's goal. The Bulldogs had another chance in the first half, but Aaron Brunner's penalty kick failed.
The teams battled it out in two, five-minute overtimes and then a pair of five-minute sudden death overtimes before heading into the shootout.
Hylton started first with Gibson missing what turned out to the the critical shot. He hit the ball low to the right side and Lake Braddock keeper Brian Lynch was able to make the save.
The Bruins were good on penalty kicks by Bockelmann, Steve Smith, Brantley Overton and Chris Applegate, while Hylton got goals from Evan Lisi, T.J. Murphy, Chris Markiewicz and Brunner.
That left Lake Braddock with one shooter and a chance to win or send the game to sudden death penalty kicks. Josh Dunn went to the bottom right corner of the net for the victory.
Mike Brizendine led the way for McLean (16-3-1) with four goals.
The senior forward scored with just one minute played when he took Tim Jones' crossing pass from the right side and easily beat Rams keeper Mark Barnett.
Lafayette (17-2) tied it 17 minutes later when Ken White headed in Andy Crapol's corner kick from the left side.
McLean took a 2-1 halftime lead when Brizendine controlled a rebound of his own shot and blasted it past Barnett with 2:47 left in the first half.
Lafayette refused to give up, however, and tied the contest with 28:14 remaining in the game when White banged in a ball sent to him by Crapol on the left side.
The Highlanders took the lead for good four minutes later when Jason Eglin sent a pass down the left sideline that Brizendine controlled before breaking towards the middle for the score.
Brizendine rounded out the scoring on a breakaway with less than a minute left, poking the ball into keeper-less goal, as Barnett pushed forward in a desperation move to tie the game. by CNB