Boys’ soccer: Fairfax is hitched together; Stonewall Jackson wins brotherly matchup (2024)

Touched by the collective joy in the room, Forshay told the Rebels they were all invited to the wedding under one condition. If Fairfax advances to the Virginia 6A state tournament, the team will attend the coach’s nuptials.

After Forshay's vow, the Rebels beat the Lancers, 2-0, behind goals from seniors Tapia and Louie Buchen.

“Everyone loves him. . . . Everyone loves each other,” Buchen said. “It’s the best team I’ve been a part of since I’ve been at Fairfax.”

One of the smartest moves Forshay and Kroft have made in their first year since leaving Oakton — where Forshay coached the girls’ varsity and Kroft coached the boys’ junior varsity — has been leaving Buchen alone.

By installing a system that makes Buchen the only forward at the top of the formation, Fairfax has paired a creative bunch of midfielders including Tapia, Nico Estrada, Kenan Alayssami and Jamil Atassi, with a formidable finisher.

Buchen has scored nine goals in five games and registered an assist in each of the past three.

“The kid is just a gamer,” Forshay said. “He’s probably got one of the best work ethics I’ve ever seen. He’s just 100 miles an hour every single time. He’s on every single touch.”

Forshay told the team in training camp effort would be the most prized quality on the club. Buchen said the first hour of a 90-minute practice features nonstop conditioning and technical drilling. If Forshay and Kroft are satisfied with the “work rate” — a term Buchen uses repeatedly — the Rebels are rewarded with a scrimmage period.

“You’re never standing still,” Buchen said. “Everyone’s always moving.”

Couple that energy with a hungry, experienced group that features 10 seniors in the starting lineup on some nights, and Fairfax (5-0) has found a winning formula.

Forshay said a Friday matchup at home against No. 8 Langley will be the first opportunity for the team to play with an entirely healthy roster.

After that, the Rebels’ goals are clear. Get to the state tournament, then get to the altar.

Stonewall Jackson freshman Alex Risko grew up dribbling against defenders three years older than him in pickup games with his goalkeeper of an older brother Ben and his friends, who are now seniors at nearby Patriot. Tuesday night, Alex lined up against the foes that prepared him for early success at the varsity level as the visiting Raiders stuck home two first-half crosses in slick conditions past the older Risko brother and held on for a 2-1 win.

“I was really hoping for a tie,” said mother Sandy Risko, who sat in the home bleachers with a Stonewall sweatshirt under a Patriot jacket. “I wanted Alex’s team to do really well but maybe not get a goal in.”

“It’s not easy to score on my brother,” Alex said. “I know his playing his playing style better than anyone, and I knew all week that it wasn’t going to be easy to score.”

Alex, an attacking midfielder, has started five straight games for Stonewall Jackson (4-2) after playing the first game of the season for the junior varsity team. At 6 feet 1, he has the size and technical skill to neutralize the typical advantages of older competition.

"As a goalkeeper, I never knew how to play his position," Ben said. "But I had friends who knew that position and had that experience he wanted, so I brought him to our kick-arounds to learn from them."

When Patriot (1-5) opened in 2011, Ben was free to transfer to the new school outside his normal district, and he took over the starting spot in the Pioneers’ net midway through his freshman season.

Students who lived in Stonewall’s district had been able to take the Advanced Placement Scholars Specialty Program at Patriot before it grew too crowded and became closed to transfers.

As Alex impressed during tryouts and his quick stint on JV earlier this spring at Stonewall, the brothers began to envision the familiar clash.

“It sounded like Alex wouldn’t be moving up until the later part of the season, so it was in our heads but with some doubt,” Ben said. “I know their head coach Rody [Vargas], and he had joked with me that my brother was going to score on me.”

Alex did not record a shot on target, but the win for Stonewall still made for a tense car ride home for the family.

“Before the game I made a deal with him that we wouldn’t say too much about it after the game, but there were some comments,” Alex said. “He said something about how we hadn’t played anyone, and I just coughed and mumbled the score afterwards.”

Chris Welsh scored one goal and assisted on three others in Battlefield's 6-1 win over Osbourn. . . Washington-Lee trailed for the first time all season last week against West Potomac and fell behind by two to Stuart but won both games by a goal. . . Jason Sookia tallied twice, and four T.C. Williams players combined for five goals in a win over Stuart . . . Lewis Long notched a hat trick for Forest Park in a 7-0 win at Potomac (Va.) . . . With sure-handed goalie Chris Shutler, Briar Woods has outscored opponents 13-0. . . . Kyle Petitt scored both goals for West Springfield in a 2-1 upset of Oakton . . . Donal Reyes de Leon found the net four times for Georege Mason in a 10-0 win against Rappahannock County.

7. Fairfax (5-0) LW: NR

Records through Tuesday.