James Wood takes control in second half to beat Millbrook in boys' soccer

WINCHESTER — The James Wood boys’ soccer team caught a break when Millbrook’s Raphael Espinoza smacked a ball off the inside of the left post that stayed out of the goal in the final two minutes of the first half, allowing the Colonels to retain a one-goal lead.

At halftime, James Wood coach Brian Sullivan challenged his team to not leave anything to chance, and the Colonels responded in impressive fashion.

Senior forward Seth Hammond scored less than a minute into the second half, and the Colonels added two more goals and limited Millbrook’s chances in a 4-0 Class 4 Northwestern District win on Tuesday at the Colonels’ Kelican Stadium.

Hammond had a hand in all four goals (two goals, two assists) and senior forward Chris Garcia had a goal and an assist to give James Wood a 2-0 record and send Millbrook to 2-1. The Colonels outshot the Pioneers 17-7 in a game where James Wood goalkeeper Brandon Dunn needed to only make one save, which came in the first half.

“We came out really well in the first 15, 18 [minutes] and kind of took it to them,” said Sullivan of a stretch that saw Hammond deliver a perfect pass into space that Connor Ballentine blasted into the net from about 18 yards out in the ninth minute. “And then they were playing physical against us and kind of getting under our skin a little bit.

“The message at halftime was make sure we get the first goal of the second half, and the first five or ten [minutes] will set the energy level for the rest of the game. But also to keep our composure and play soccer. We’re a very skilled team on the ground. When you score that early, it kind of takes a load off your shoulders.”

Garcia in particular showed he got the message loud and clear, because his determination helped make Hammond’s goal possible.

Millbrook goalkeeper Nick Catlett (two saves while playing the second half) came off his line for a long ball toward the penalty box. The ball bounced high and past Catlett, and Garcia sprinted toward the end line to keep the ball in play and passed back to Hammond. With Catlett out of position, Hammond buried a shot from 15 yards out to put the Colonels up 2-0.

“Coach told me to work harder and press the ball more,” Garcia said. “I didn’t give up on that ball, and we scored. I worked harder in the second half than in the first half.”

“He took over with a lot of those diagonal runs, and those runs to open up the field, and their defense started to scramble after that,” Sullivan said.

James Wood pretty much controlled the game from there. The Pioneers had a couple of quality opportunities, but it took them 19 minutes to register a shot in the second half.

The second half also featured plenty more dynamic play from Hammond, a first-year Colonel who will play for NCAA Division I Elon next year. The 5-foot-6, 135-pound Hammond assisted on Garcia’s goal in the 65th minute with a long ball toward the box, then finished a pass from Tristan Obert in the box in the 74th minute.

About the only thing he didn’t do was score on a penalty kick. After Hammond’s long pass to Ballentine produced a foul in the box, Catlett dove to his right to stop Hammond on the ensuing penalty kick in the 55th minute.

“He’s an overall player that we can trust fully,” Garcia said. “We know we can give him the ball, and he’s going to make something good happen for us.”

Hammond has been playing with many of his current teammates throughout high school, just not in actual games for James Wood while he’s focused with his Virginia Development Academy club team.

He’s enjoying the experience, especially Tuesday’s game because the Colonels felt they played better than they did in their 1-0 win over Handley on Thursday.

“I just try to work hard for my teammates,” said Hammond when asked what he hopes to bring to the team this year. “I’m a senior, and I want to lead by example. Some of these guys haven’t seen me play before, so I just want to set the tone and show them what we all can do as a team, and how far this team can go.”

Hammond said James Wood’s defense deserves a lot of credit for the way the team is playing right now. Center backs Micah Frigaard and Ryan King and outside backs Ethan Bowman and Aidan Barton combined with Dunne for the Colonels’ second straight shutout.

“I have been impressed with the growth of my back line over the last month or two, and we look to continue to build off that,” Sullivan said.

James Wood has a lot to like about its team.

“I feel like we have a lot of talent this year,” Garcia said. “It’s not a team, we’re a family. I feel like if we keep working hard and keep working as a team, we can make it very far this season.”

Millbrook 11th-year head coach Keith Kilmer certainly is impressed.

“I believe in all my years here, that’s the best James Wood team I’ve ever seen,” Kilmer said. “They play as a team. Their chemistry is pretty darn nice. Their effort and their individual skill put together collectively comes together nice, and this is only their second game. Come the end of the season, they’ll be someone to deal with for just about anybody to play.”

After two strong wins to open the season, Kilmer is looking forward to see how his team plays against Liberty today.

“Do we rebound, or does this sink us?” Kilmer said. “It’s so early in the season, you don’t know what will happen. We’ll see if they can identify themselves as a team that’s going to continue to fight, or not. It’s up to them.

“I’m not down on my team at all. They fought the whole time. It just wasn’t their night and James Wood’s a good team.”

Tanner Coffman made four saves for Millbrook while playing the first half. Kilmer says he’ll continue to play two keepers unless someone emerges as a definitive option.

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