Girls' Soccer

Urbana Topples B-CC in Region Final
By B.J. Koubaroulis

Special to The Washington Post

Wednesday, November 7, 2007; E10

Urbana junior goalkeeper Caroline Browning stayed on top of the ball for a bit longer than usual.

She just wanted to be sure.

By the time she finally rolled over and let go of the game's final penalty kick -- her first and only save in a 3-2 shootout victory at Bethesda-Chevy Chase in last night's 3A West Region championship -- her teammates had already begun celebrating.

Browning made the game-winning save following a double-overtime 2-2 tie to give Urbana its first region title since 2003.

Urbana will play the winner of last night's Huntingtown-Northern matchup in the 3A South Region final.

"You have to stay calm and you can't get too hard on yourself after missing a few," said Browning, who made two saves in penalty kicks in Saturday's win over Tuscarora. "You have to stay relaxed and focused and move on to the next one as fast as it comes."

Tenth-ranked Urbana (10-3-1) became just the fourth team this season to score against fifth-ranked Bethesda Chevy-Chase (14-1), which had 11 shutouts and outscored its opponents 65-3 entering last night's game.

Urbana sophomore midfielder Amie Ruhe shrugged off her defender and finished a breakaway up the middle of the field with a left-footed shot from 16 yards for a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the game.

In the 24th minute, junior midfielder Julia Roberts bent the Hawks' third shot on goal and fourth free kick just under the crossbar from 28 yards for a 2-0 lead that stood until Hannah Cooper scored in the 59th and 69th minutes to draw the Barons even.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase outshot Urbana 10-5, recording seven of those shots after the first half.
"It was just like practice," said Urbana senior defender Kelly Mohns, who buried the Hawks' fifth and decisive penalty kick into the front right corner of the net. "This feels so good."

B-CC Boys Prevail

Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior forward David Williams didn't even get to see his game-winning shot hit the back right corner of the net in the Barons' 2-1 victory over visiting Urbana in the boys' 3A West Region championship.

Williams settled a feed from junior forward Chris Woodruff and sent a right-footed shot to the back of the net before a collision with Urbana's sliding goalkeeper sent him tumbling to the grass.

"I knew it was in once I kicked it," said Williams, who connected from 22 yards out in the 63rd minute to complete the come-from-behind win. "I didn't need to see it."

The goal gave B-CC (10-3-2) its first region title since 2004 and pushed the Barons into the state semifinals, where they will meet the winner of last night's 3A South Region final between Northern and Chopticon.

Urbana's season ended at 9-7-1.

The Barons scored on two of just four shots on goal, including a goal from Ethan White, who corralled a deflection and connected on a right-footed boot from 28 yards in the 53rd minute to tie it at 1.

"This is huge to move on to the next level when we were below .500 last year," said White, who was a part of the Barons' squad that finished 4-8-1 last season.