Paule-Carres lifts Judges past 'Cats

By Jeremy Stafford -- jstafford@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Handley forward Michael Paule-Carres said he couldn't do it.

He couldn't run with the Warren County backs, his legs weren't under him. He couldn't create any open space in which to take shots and he couldn't manipulate the ball.

"I don't know what happened in the first half, I just had two dead legs," Paule-Carres said. "I knew what I wanted to do but I couldn't put spin on the ball, I had no touch on the ball."

So Paule-Carres walked into the locker room at Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium at halftime, isolated himself, and calmed his mind.

Not one minute into the second half, Paule-Carres took a ball from David Ko, broke down the left flank, and baited Warren County keeper Blake Sparling out of the goal.

From there it was simply a matter of poking the ball into the back of the empty net. The goal not only marked Paule-Carres' return to the game, but it also led to what soon became a 3-1 Handley victory in the Northwestern District quarterfinals.

Normally a starter, Paule-Carres sat on the bench in the match's onset because a field trip to Hersheypark forced him to miss a practice on Thursday. He first entered the game in the 10th minute when Handley forward Eduardo Santiago and Warren County's Casey Barbee collided while leaping for a 50-50 ball.

Barbee walked off the field fine, but Santiago, with a gash on his face, was sent to Winchester Medical Center for stitches. Handley coach Cosmo Balio said Santiago will be fine by the Judges' semifinal match at Brentsville on Tuesday.

Paule-Carres continued to wreak havoc on the fifth-seeded Wildcats when he took a free kick from Elliot Butler in the 71st minute and headed the ball off a Warren County defender for an own goal.

But just like Paule-Carres, the Judges faced early offensive woes despite starting the game with three forwards up top, one more than they normally play with.

"I think we were just nervous," Balio said. "I don't know what it is about this team, I just think there's a nervousness there.

"When it goes away we can play, but we can't overcome that for some reason."

The pressure Handley did manage to put on the Warren County backs in the first half was easily quelled, though, as the Handley offensive breaks were unorganized and had little direction.

"We had struggled to do the simple things and keep possession," Butler said. "That allowed them to move up the field with a little more structure."

The teams traded goals in the middle of the half -- Handley in the 18th minute and Warren County in the 19th minute -- to enter the intermission tied.

But the second half proved almost disastrous for the Judges.

Defensive back Andrew Marut received a red card in the 44th minute, and with only 10 players on the field, Handley switched to a 4-4-1, whereas Paule-Carres was the lone forward playing in the offensive third.

Marut will not play in the semifinal game on Monday.

The game evened out two minutes later, though, when Warren County's Jesse Dove also got a red card.

The Wildcats received three yellow cards in the second half, two of which were given to Nick Cornell.

Handley keeper Stefano Frantellizzi did not start on Friday, and likely won't for the rest of the season with a hairline fracture in his hand. Back-up goalie George Ramirez, who had four saves against Warren County, was injured when Roger Patricio ran into him in late in the game. Ramirez was dazed but will start on Tuesday.