Northwestern District girls' soccer race will be a fight to the finish

The Class 4 Northwestern District girls' soccer season is set up for an intriguing conclusion.

All seven teams have played at least five of their 12 district games, and five of the teams have posted winning records so far.

Defending champion Kettle Run (7-1-2 overall, 4-1 district) has notched two of the most convincing wins.

The Cougars dealt Handley (8-1, 4-1) its only loss with a 7-1 victory in Nokesville on April 2, and they beat Millbrook by mercy rule 8-0 on April 9. The Pioneers (2-6-1, 0-5-1) have yet to win a district game, but they hadn't given up more than two goals in any of their first eight games until running into Kettle Run.

Winners of four in a row, the Cougars are on a roll. But James Wood (6-2, 3-2) showed that Kettle Run can be beaten with a 2-1 win over the Cougars on March 29 at Kelican Stadium.

That win over Kettle Run was the start of James Wood's own four-game winning streak. The Colonels' last three wins have been shutouts, a stretch that includes a 1-0 win over Sherando (6-3-1, 3-2-1) on April 5 that avenged a 1-0 loss to the Warriors on March 15, and a 1-0 win on Tuesday against a much-improved Liberty team (3-3-1, 3-2-1) that Sherando coach Rob Kilmer said features several girls that hadn't gone out for the team before.

Besides losing to Sherando, James Wood has also lost to Handley in the district, falling 3-1 on March 26 at Kelican Stadium.

In short, it's looking like any team can beat (or tie) any other on any given night.

"It's going to be interesting how it goes all the way to the end," Kilmer said. "The district tournament is going to be really interesting."

The following is a look at how the seasons have gone for some of the contenders:

James Wood

The Colonels have been getting the job done with their defense. James Wood and sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Kerns have posted five shutouts and the Colonels have only allowed five goals.

"Going into the season, I felt like our defense was going to be one of our strong points," Colonels coach Donavan Russell said. "We've got four seniors who come in and play that back line, and junior Audrey Hottle comes in and does a great job at defensive mid. The defense has really anchored us in the majority of our games. We've been under pressure in a lot of our games, and they've done a great job stopping [the opposition].

"Sadie Kerns has played really well. Her positioning has been great. Her hands have gotten better. In the Liberty game [in which Kerns had 10 saves], she kept us in it in the end. She's playing like a much older high school player."

James Wood's defense also features Russell's senior daughter Lauren at center back, senior Yeakley Pullen at right back, senior Hannah Given at left back, and Given's twin sister Hailey as a reserve who provides key minutes in place of Hannah or Pullen. Sophomore Julia Watts provides solid relief for Hottle.

"We've got great leadership in the back," Donavan Russell said. "Sadie does a really good job of getting people lined up where she needs them. [The defenders] cover each other well. Lauren and the twins have also played Winchester United together the last two seasons in the same spots. They're very comfortable together.

"The players in the back give everyone else the confidence and a lot of freedom to play and move up the field."

James Wood has even leaned on star senior forward Katie Padgett (five goals, three assists). Padgett played center back in James Wood's 1-0 win over Sherando because Lauren Russell missed the game with an injury.

Donavan Russell said the loss to Handley was an eye-opener for the Colonels. James Wood had a hard time finishing scoring opportunities — an area in which Russell feels his team is improving in — and Russell said the Colonels struggled in the midfield, on defense, and with mental focus.

Russell said James Wood's midfield play has come a long way since the loss to Handley.

"We have to get the ball up and get good chances for our forwards," Russell said. "Senior Maddie Myers (three goals, three assists) has been fantastic. She's playing the best soccer I've seen since she was 10. She's the full package. She's very strong. She gets the ball off her foot, puts it in great spots.

"We added in our freshman Sidney Rathel to play in there beside her, and Sidney's been great. They work so well together. They move off the ball and move off each other. They both have great touch. And [sophomore] Katelyn Mounts (one goal, six assists) is doing a great job, too."

Handley

The Judges have been a force all year. In their eight wins, they've outscored their opponents 38-5.

Handley interim head coach Britt Miller said the Judges are by no means satisfied with what they've accomplished, though.

"We're still really not where we want to be, especially if we want to reach the goals that we've set for this season," she said. "While we're happy, we still have some work to do.

"It's about focusing on our style of play with possession and moving the ball well together as a team, working together and building that trust among our players."

Offensively, junior forward Emma Ricci's 16 goals are twice the amount of any other area player. She also has four assists. A talented freshman class that makes up nine of the 17 players on the team is also showing it can handle the bright lights of the varsity stage. Mikayla Balio ranks second in the area in goals (eight) and has five assists, and Julia Nerangis is tied for the area lead with eight assists and also has four goals.

"Mikayla and Julia have both been kind of playmakers for us in the middle, and [sophomore] Jessica Alamo has also made a lot of plays possible with her movement of the ball in the middle," Miller said. "But everyone's working really hard, and I'm really proud of them."

Handley's one blemish was its loss to Kettle Run. The game saw the Judges give up more goals that night than in their other eight games combined and also saw them held under three goals for the only time all season.

"We lost our style of play [that game]," said Miller, whose team has won two straight games by a combined 9-2 since the defeat. "Our focus and our goal for the game, we weren't able to reach that. We're still adjusting and working from that game, trying to improve, and making the adjustments we need. I think the girls are aware of where the work needs to go in, and they're putting in the work and the effort to make it happen."

Sherando

It took less than a week for the Warriors to get hit with a major dose of adversity.

Sherando lost 3-0 to Woodgrove in its season opener on March 11, with four-year starting goalkeeper Kara Hendren breaking her foot (she finished the game after suffering the injury in the first half). On March 15, Sherando bounced back to beat James Wood 1-0, but sophomore midfielder Julia Hunter (one goal, two assists) and junior midfielder Ali Baltimore both got injured in the victory.

In their first game without all three players, the Warriors lost 5-1 to a Handley team that Kilmer said simply outplayed them. But the Warriors are 5-1-1 since.

Kilmer said Hunter returned on April 2 against Liberty and Baltimore returned on March 29 against Millbrook. Kilmer said Hendren should be back for the Warriors' game against Handley on Tuesday.

One of the main reasons why Sherando has thrived despite its injuries is the play of senior Haley Byrnes, who has posted five shutouts this season.

"She's been absolutely huge," Kilmer said. "To have a girl who's never played goal before come in and perform as she has ... she probably had the best save I've seen all season against Skyline [on Monday].

"It was totally unselfish on her part. She's a girl who volunteered to go in there and has not complained one bit. She was second on the team in goals last year [with five]. She sacrificed for us to keep us in the race."

Kilmer said Byrnes — who also plays basketball — has done everything he could have asked for.

"She has such great hands," Kilmer said. "Just a natural athlete. Very confident."

Kilmer said the defense in front of her has done an excellent job of making things easier for her. That group features sophomore Lizzie Campbell, junior Abbie Dodson, freshman Carson Foltz, and senior Jessica Poole.

"That group has been massive for us," said Kilmer, whose team is averaging just over two goals per game. "We haven't scored a lot of goals, so it's been great we've been able to shut some teams out."

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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