St. Anne’s Belfield’s boys’ soccer team defeated The Potomac School on Friday afternoon 2-0 to advance to the VISAA Division I quarterfinals.
With a pair of goals from Hank Gregg and Jacob Hegemier, STAB did enough as the eight seed to advance and get a shot at No. 1 Bishop-O’Connell Monday.
STAB forward Alex Bertone gave Potomac fits from the first blow of the whistle. He made runs after every ball sent towards Potomac’s back line and bullied defenders off the ball making chances for himself in dangerous positions. However, Potomac’s counterattacking proved why they were in the VISAA Division I playoffs.
Had it not been for Cooper Allen in goal for STAB, it could have been easily 2-0 to Potomac early in the first half. A curling attempt aimed for the top left corner met the outstretched hands of Allen as he dove across the face of goal to preserve the Saints’ shutout.
Meanwhile, the Saints had numerous chances off corners that fell just wide of the goal. STAB continued to put pressure on a strong Potomac defense until finally just before halftime Gregg found the back of the net off of a breakaway assist from Bertone making it 1-0 at halftime.
As the second half began, STAB’s defensive unit was put to the test. The game turned physical quickly as both sides knew what they needed to survive. Each side called for foul after foul as the midfield turned into a warzone of words and cleats. Gregg found another one-on-one chance with the Potomac keeper, yet it was knocked over the bar holding the score at 1-0 with 10 minutes left to play.
Eventually the physicality was enough for the referee as Hegemier, a STAB defender, received a yellow card in the 81st minute for a challenge in midfield. Hegemier rebounded though as just three minutes later the Saints won a penalty and he converted to seal the game. STAB continuously booted the ball downfield for the remaining minutes as the Saints milked the clock and put away the win.
The Saints move on to face the top-seeded Bishop O’Connell in the quarterfinals of the VISAA Division I playoffs.
