St. Albans soccer opened the DC State tournament Wednesday with a solid 3-1 win over DC Public Charter School champion DC International School.  DCI Showed up at Steuart Field with a large supportive crowd and high energy on the field.  The Dragons parlayed that excitement into a goal just two minutes into the game when they chipped a ball wide at midfield, advanced it quickly down the wing, then finished at the net on a nicely served ball into the penalty area.  Rustin Khosravi helped the Bulldogs shake off the early setback seven minutes later by twisting away from a crowd of defenders at the top of the penalty area, including the DCI goalie who had come out aggressively to play the ball, and burying a shot into the open net.  Niall Fergus scored what would prove to be the winning goal for STA ten minutes after that and the Bulldogs stiffened on defense to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.

 

St. Albans looked to extend its lead early in the second half but the Dragons goalie stood his ground on several shots, corners, and close-in free kicks.  The Bulldogs backline and goalkeeper Scott Speaker held the DCI attack in check at the other end of the field.  With just under 15 minutes to play, the Dragons committed a hand ball foul in the penalty area giving Wayne Frederick a chance to extend the lead with a penalty kick.  The STA senior All-American and Duke commit converted with a well-placed shot that allowed the Bulldogs to play the final minutes with the comfort of a two-goal cushion.  As DCI pressed the attack, STA calmly cleared balls and locked down coverage on scoring attempts from potentially dangerous areas. 

 

The Bulldogs host Gonzaga in the semi-finals of the tournament Friday at 2:45pm on Steuart Field.  The Eagles topped Wilson 3-0 in their quarterfinal matchup Wednesday.  The winner will advance to Sunday’s championship game at Catholic University at 6pm Sunday.