May 25, 2011
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

STEPHENS CITY- An end to James Wood senior forward Matt Henriques' dry spell helped get Colonels coach Chris Hild an overdue dousing.

Henriques scored twice to lift James Wood to a 2-1 win over Millbrook in Tuesday's Northwestern District boys' soccer final at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Colonels' celebration of their regular season championship last week was somewhat muted, because that came as a result of a tie against Handley in a game that was not fully completed because of lightning.

But thanks to Henriques' first goals in more than a month, James Wood was able to point its collective fingers to the sky in celebration of its first-ever Northwestern tournament title, and goalkeeper Elliot Shiben and sweeper Josh Marts were able to drench Hild from behind with a bucket of water. Hild - who might have been doused with water after the Handley game if his players weren't worried about ruining the suit he wore that night - said the Colonels (9-5-2) felt like they still needed to prove their mettle after winning the regular season title, and Tuesday showed they had plenty.

"It means a lot, because we actually won the game," James Wood senior stopper Jake Carpenter said. "There's no dispute. We're definitely the champions."

They made it happen by taking Millbrook's powerful opening punch on the chin and coming back stronger.

Jon Carnill scored five minutes into the game when he backheaded a free kick by Stuart Hupp from midfield to put the Pioneers (9-6-2) up 1-0. Millbrook built off the early score, and for the first 20 minutes they had the possession advantage.

But as the minutes passed, James Wood became more comfortable and dangerous in its attack, and the Colonels' improved play helped them draw even in the 29th minute.

A free kick played in from the right side was punched out by Millbrook goalkeeper Caleb Schneider, but Schneider mis-hit it, and the ball went toward the center of the field instead of outside. It went straight toward Henriques, who headed the ball into the open net from 15 yards out.

Henriques - who was teased by Marts after the game for his drought - last scored in a 1-0 win against Handley on April 22.

"That was good," Henriques said of his first goal. "A stress-reliever."

The goal he had in the final minute before the half was a bolt of lightning.

James Wood has talked all year about getting the ball in transition and playing it long into space for the speedy Henriques, and Henriques' game-winner Tuesday might have been the best example this season of that strategy.

After junior midfielder Logan Yost collected the ball near midfield, he played it over the top toward the middle of the penalty box. Henriques raced to it and grounded a one-touch shot from the top of the semi-circle past a sliding Schneider.

"I just got a big adrenaline rush, took off and went to goal," said Henriques, who now has 10 goals on the season.

With plenty of time to score the equalizer, the Pioneers hit James Wood with everything they had in the second half and recorded a 10-3 shot advantage after being out-shot 7-6 in the first.

Five minutes into the second half, Millbrook midfielder Derek Davis hit the crossbar with a shot, and the Pioneers generated a few other quality opportunities.

But James Wood settled in, and Millbrook eventually started playing more long balls and lost the sense of control it had played with earlier.

"I felt good about most of the game," Kilmer said. "It's unfortunate we didn't take care of our opportunities like we should have."

Kilmer noted that the Colonels did well to tighten up their defense to limit those chances.

"We just stayed focused, made note of where they were at, and made sure we weren't walking around being lazy on the field," Carpenter said.

Now James Wood will try to do some damage within Region II. The Colonels will host a quarterfinal Tuesday. (Millbrook will host a first round game Monday.)

"No matter how you do in the regular season, you want to try and peak [in the postseason]," Hild said, "and I think we're doing that."

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