Vikings have answers to sweep series with Wood

April 6, 2011
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star
    
WINCHESTER- Loudoun Valley didn't blink an eye when James Wood senior forward Matt Henriques opened the scoring just 30 seconds into the game Tuesday night. The Vikings scored two times over the rest of the half to take the lead.

So, when the Colonels tied the game in the second half, Loudoun Valley's response was hardly surprising.

Kody Kitto blasted in a Max VanVleet pass three minutes after James Wood's equalizer, and the Vikings went on to a 4-2 non-district win over the Colonels at Kelican Stadium to sweep the season series.

"I always tell the boys, 'If we get scored on, we need to go and find one,'" said Vikings coach Danny Clarke, whose team beat James Wood 3-1 on March 14 in the season opener for both squads. "Tonight they were able to keep their heads after that early goal, and they were able to find some.

"It helped they were able to stay composed and find one [after James Wood tied it], too."

Led by the fleet-footed Henriques - who had five of James Wood's eight shots - the Colonels (1-2-1) did well to hang with the Vikings (5-2) throughout the game, and they exploded with joy after Jacob Carpenter evened the match at 2-2. Carpenter's shot from 25 yards out in the 54th minute came when Loudoun Valley failed to get much on its clearance of a Henriques throw-in. But VanVleet (two goals, one assist) kept James Wood's enthusiasm to a minimum, dribbling through the left side of the Colonels' defense before cutting to the middle and laying off a pass to the right for Kitto to finish in the 57th minute.

"You put in a goal like [Carpenter's], and you hope that you destroy their momentum and their will to keep coming," James Wood coach Chris Hild said. "But that's what makes good teams. They got the ball out of the back of the net and came right back out."

The Colonels nearly pulled even again when Henriques, falling out of bounds while even with the top of the penalty box by the right sideline, flung a shot toward goal that hit the crossbar in the 66th minute.

But that was the closest James Wood came to scoring again. VanVleet scored in the final two minutes to provide the final margin for the Vikings, who had 23 shots and forced James Wood goalkeeper Elliot Shiben to make 11 saves.

Henriques - who opened the scoring after he took a Spencer Marfing pass, played it ahead to himself and sprinted past the defense - said he was trying to cross the ball that hit the crossbar and not shoot it.

There might have been some luck involved in that moment, but everything else the Colonels accomplished came through hard work.

Hild felt his team played better than it did the first game against the Vikings, whose resume includes a sweep of George Mason, a split with Handley and a scrimmage win over Clarke County.

"What I wanted from the team coming into this game was, 'Let's improve,'" said Hild, whose squad was unable to get in any scrimmages before the season opener. "It wasn't necessarily that we had to to win this game, it was, 'Can we improve? Can we build off what we did the first game?'

"[Loudoun Valley] possessed very well and attacked very well, but we were able to to hold our own out here."

Henriques said he thought James Wood's nerves showed in the first meeting, and he thought the Colonels did better with their passing in the rematch.

Certainly, Tuesday's game showed it's a good idea to pass the ball toward Henriques, whose quickness made Loudoun Valley revamp its defensive approach.

"He's going to be a factor in any game against anybody," Clarke said with a laugh. "He's fast, he's strong, and we shifted our backs a couple of times to keep up with him. You're never going to shut down a guy like that. All you can do is hope to contain him for a little while."

Henriques said he's worked on his touch and his runs since last season, and he's hoping he can make an impact as James Wood opens its Northwestern District schedule Thursday against Sherando.

"I think we're going to tear it up in districts," Henriques said. "I think we're playing well this year. I'm pretty confident with the team."

Hild said he doesn't want his players to think about anything short of a district title.

"We feel like we have as good a chance as anybody," he said. "We're excited about it."

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