Warriors secure berth in regional

By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- tkeeler@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Being one of the top scorers in the area, Sherando forward Matt Brady tends to draw a lot of attention from defenses. On Tuesday night he used that to his advantage.

Brady set up two goals by teammate Josh Dennis to lead Sherando to a 3-1 win over Millbrook in the Northwestern District boys soccer semifinals. The win gives Sherando its fourth consecutive Region II berth. The Warriors will play at Brentsville on Thursday in the Northwestern District final.

"All three forwards, myself, Carlos [Chavez] and Josh [Dennis], we've really worked hard all season," Brady said. "We really feed off each other.

"It seems like in the close games, against Kettle Run, Brentsville and tonight, Josh has really stepped up for us."

Dennis, who had only four goals all season, gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with 34:35 left in the game. Dennis ran down a through ball from Brady and sent it past Millbrook goalkeeper Tarek Kipry.

Millbrook answered five minutes later with a goal by Welmer Landereverde. The Millbrook senior got free and drilled an off-balance shot into the right corner to tie the game at 1-1.

The game didn't stay tied for long as Dennis scored again two minutes later. He chased another through ball from Brady, and as Kipry drifted away from the goal, Dennis lofted the ball over Kipry's head and safely into the back of the net.

"I just waited for him to come out and then I chipped it over him," Dennis said. "It felt amazing."

"Josh just made the right runs," Brady said of Dennis' goals. "I knew he would put them away."

The Warriors (13-4-1) put the game out of reach as Michael O'Connell scored on an assist from Dennis with around two minutes left to seal the win.

Sherando had lost twice earlier in the season to Millbrook, but those losses may have turned the Warriors' season around. Sherando is 8-0-1 since a 4-2 loss to the Pioneers on April 8.

"I think that loss was a wake-up call for the team," Sherando coach Pat Anderson said. "We're getting other people involved, other people are stepping up. I think the team realized we can't just depend on Brady.

"Matt was a point guard in basketball and I think he's starting to use those skills in soccer. He's dishing off more."

The Warriors also tried to keep the game physical and used their strength and size to their advantage. Millbrook coach Neil Hammond said his team knew it would be a physical game, but they didn't execute their gameplan.

"They're definitely a more physical team, but in the first two games we were able to overcome that and tonight we didn't," Hammond said. "We didn't play that well, and they deserved to win.

"Obviously it's disappointing to lose, but at the same time we had a good season. We finished second in the district. We finished 13-4-1, which is the best record we've ever had. Tonight it was just their night."

The Pioneers played part of the game without their top scorer, Benny Buono. With nine minutes left in the first half, Buono was given a yellow card, so Hammond pulled him from the game for the remainder of the half and the first 17 minutes of the second half.

No matter the outcome against the Tigers on Thursday, the Warriors will play at Dulles District champ Broad Run on Monday in the Region II quarterfinals.

"For the seniors I know this means a lot, being in regionals all four years," Brady said. "We're just going to try and play every game like it could be our last. We want to go out on top."