Titans Earn First Win on Penalty Kick

The T.C. Williams boys soccer team was on its home turf Tuesday night against Hayfield, tied at one goal apiece with just two minutes remaining when opportunity came knocking at the door. A T.C. Williams forward was dragged down from behind in the 18-yard box and the referee granted a penalty kick.

Alex Mansaray stepped to the line and struck the ball low to the left side, bending the ball between the keeper and the post for the winning tally in a 2-1 victory over Hayfield.

“It is my passion to play soccer and I like putting the ball in the back of the net,” Mansaray said. “That’s why my coach is training me to get very good. [Coach Martin Nickley] told me to take it and I took it perfectly.”

T.C. Williams (1-0-1) dominated the first half behind a speedy attack from Mansaray and Osman Ainte, who both took several shots on goal. But Fernando Seas was tremendous in net for Hayfield, saving at least six hard, accurate shots in the first half.

With 3:43 remaining in the first, Mansaray took a quick pass from his defender and weaved through three players down the left sideline. He crossed the ball precisely to Abdel Aziz Al Nimiry, who one-timed it into the net to put the Titans up 1-0.

“I saw Alex cross the ball perfectly and I hit it with my left foot and it was good,” Al Nimiry said.

Momentum shifted to the Hawks (0-3) in the second half as they directed shot after at keeper Luis Martinez Hernandez. But the Titans keeper was solid, snatching up every shot within the posts.

The Titans found their edge again with 20 minutes left in the game and took control on offense. Manuel Benites did a fine job handling corners and throw-ins for T.C. Williams and connected several times with Tripp Spurio, who put his head on the ball over a half dozen times near the goal.

Unfortunately for the Titans, Spurio came up short on two that deflected off the crossbar, including the first penalty kick of the game.

“I try to take on the leadership role as a guy who has been in soccer for five years. I felt I let my team down on the first PK, but I think it is my place to show how aggressive you can be in the box,” Spurio said. “A lot of guys just don’t want to put their head on the ball and if I can show them how to do that we will have more goals.”

The Titans found redemption on the second penalty kick when Mansaray delivered the game-winner.

“We wanted to have a real good week of practice and to make sure our level of fitness was up to finishing this week,” Nickley said. “It was impressive to see [our team] regroup and get that goal in the end.”

T.C. Williams travels to Marshall on Thursday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.