The alarms went off a bit earlier for the T.C. Williams boys soccer team on the first day of spring break.
In the first game of the round-robin portion of Battle of the Beltway Spring Break soccer tournament at Chantilly, the Titans scored before the dust had cleared from the 11 a.m. kickoff and added an insurance goal after halftime for a 2-0 victory over the host Chargers.
T.C. Williams senior forward Ghassan Saroor scored when Chantilly goalkeeper Anthony Limarata deflected his tight-angled cross into the net in the second minute, and Titans junior midfielder Ethan Cornelio doubled the lead with a nifty shot in the 47th minute.
“I took the touch, then I saw the keeper off his line, and so I just tried to loft it over him,” said Cornelio of his second goal of the season. A newcomer to the varsity team, he has become a staple in the Titans midfield along with his twin brother, Tyler Cornelio.
“It’s a lot of running, but it’s worth it if we keep on winning,” said Ethan Cornelio of his adjustment to varsity. “It’s good to have my brother on the team because we help each other out a lot.”
The win was the third in a row for the Titans (4-3-1).
“Our focus in the match has been great and with us continuing to put the hard work in, we’ve gotten some good results recently,” said T.C. Williams coach Marty Nickley.
The trend has been nearly the opposite for the Chargers (3-4-1), who increased the pressure in the second half but lost for the third time in four games.
Chantilly senior midfielder David Menzie appeared to have scored on a cross from junior midfielder Mark Jeon in the 67th minute, but he was called for offside.
“The kids aren’t on the same page,” said Chantilly coach Tracy Birrell. “One does one thing and another does something else. Until they get on the same page, we’re not going to do well.”
Break out
» Chantilly senior midfielder Carlos Davila was forced to sit on the bench for the first half after breaking a team rule, according to Chantilly coach Tracy Birrell.
» Due to weekend rains, the tournament, which is being played at Chantilly and McLean, was shortened to just to two days. The championship game will be held at Chantilly tonight at 7.
