Grafton High graduate Isaiah Chisolm headed in the decisive goal late in regulation time Friday night as Lionsbridge FC edged the Western Massachusetts Pioneers 2-1 to cap a USL League Two playoff doubleheader in Newport News.
To the delight of most of the likely more than 3,000 fans at Christopher Newport’s packed TowneBank Stadium, Lionsbridge advanced to an Eastern Conference semifinal (a national round-of-16 match) at CNU at 7 p.m. Sunday.
The Lions, last year’s national runners-up, will face Salem City FC in a rematch of a match in last year’s playoffs. Lionsbridge beat that Greensboro team, then known as the North Carolina Fusion, 3-1 a year ago.
In Friday’s opening game on the same pitch, Salem City squandered a two-goal lead against Virginia Beach United and finished 120 minutes in a 2-2 standoff, but won 3-2 in penalty kicks.
The Pioneers were third in the last national power rankings posted at uslleaguetwo.com, and they went ahead 1-0 on Mamadi Jiana’s goal in the 32nd minute. Davide Materazzi made a defensive save to keep it from being 2-0 late in the first half.
Lionsbridge turned the momentum in the second half, gaining numerous chances. George Wyatt headed in a corner kick from Matthew Kirk in the 53rd minute, tying the score and ensuring that fans would receive a free chicken sandwich via a promotion.
The physical game finished with nine yellow cards, some based on a late pushing match. On the decisive sequence in the 90th minute, Chisolm — who plays for the Kentucky Wildcats — netted a rebound after the Pioneers’ goalkeeper had stopped his initial header off a Kirk corner kick. The stands were literally bouncing, and goalie Tyler Hogan and his teammates held on for about five minutes of stoppage time.
The Lions (14-1-4 in all competitions) gained their fourth comeback victory of the season. They have won three straight Chesapeake Division titles and are in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
Earlier, the best season in VBU history ended in penalty kicks.
Salem City’s Lucas De Oliveira Mauro, one of the league’s top scorers, put his team on top in the eighth minute with his ninth goal of the season, beating VBU goalkeeper Griffin Potter. Steven Hernandez doubled the lead in the 31st minute off a Teddy Baker assist.
Down 2-0, VBU came storming back after halftime as Potter made some tough saves to keep his team competitive. Samuel Phillips scored off a difficult angle in the 59th minute for his second goal of the season, and Michael Whalen netted the tying goal in 87th minute as the ball dribbled over the line.
In the shootout, Virginia Beach United made its first and last kicks, but the Salem City goalkeeper saved the three in between, including two diving stops.
With the shootout score tied at 2, Salem City won when its final PK hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down, just beyon the goal line.
Virginia Beach United never had made the playoffs until this season, and it equaled Lionsbridge atop the Chesapeake Division with a 9-1-2 division record. The Lions gained their third consecutive division title in a head-to-head tiebreaker with a win and a draw against VBU.
Virginia Beach United, guided by former Virginia Wesleyan coach Chris Mills, capitalized on its first playoff appearance, coming from behind for a 2-1 extra-time victory this week over the South Carolina United Bantams at Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
