Wood rolls over SVCA

March 23, 2012
By Todd McElwee
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- Sarah Callaham realized early on in Thursday night's girls' soccer match against Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy that nobody on the opposition could keep step with her.

Relaying the message to her James Wood teammates, Callaham went on the attack.

Scoring three times in the first half, Callaham helped guide the Colonels to a convincing 6-1 victory.

"I just got a lot of good balls from my teammates and it's my job to finish and put it away," said the senior midfielder. "It's good to have three goals and know I can hit the net before we start district play." Callaham and her teammates began pushing forward early.

James Wood simply had too much firepower and speed for SVCA. Unable to clear their zone or sustain a suitable attack, the game was contested almost exclusively within the Patriots' box.

Less than four minutes in, Callaham collected a long through ball and darted towards the goal, beating SVCA keeper Alana Nappi with 36:15 showing on the clock.

Getting behind the defense, Callaham put James Wood up 2-0 in the 18th minute. Less than two minutes later, she earned the hat trick to put the Colonels up by three.

"After the first one I knew I could get through and I was faster than their defense," Callaham said. "It was just a team effort the whole way around."

James Wood (3-1) didn't let up. Junior Emma Watts added a goal with five minutes remaining until halftime and sophomore midfielder Meghan Hammond added another in the 65th minute off an assist from Callaham.

Freshman midfielder Alexandra Stanford, who also had two assists in the game, capped the scoring for the Colonels with the sixth and final goal late in the second half.

Thursday's game was the second of a back-to-back for James Wood. On Wednesday the Patriots traveled to Broadway and escaped with a 1-0 victory.

Senior goalkeepers Ashley Mullin and Vanessa Sousa combined to make three saves for the Colonels. James Wood out-shot SVCA 24-4.

"[The Patriots] played well," said James Wood head coach Jim Carden. "We're 3-1. Are we happy where we are? Yes. Do we have a lot of work to do? Yes."

After a dismal start, SVCA could have, but didn't, dial back its intensity.

The Patriots showed flashes during the second half and began harassing the Colonels.

Breaking free of a pinpoint through ball from freshman forward Hannah McGann, junior midfielder Jessica Crowley deposited the ball into the lower left corner of the net.

"The second half was much better," said SVCA head coach Dustin Wheelock. "First half, we were really unorganized early. Second half was definitely more organized. We haven't gotten a real 11 on 11 and get together."

SVCA was making its season debut. The Patriots only began to practice last Monday and have only scrimmaged once. A lot of work is yet to do done.

"Our mentality was come in, play aggressive and play intense," Wheelock said. "All of the formations and all of the touches, we can fix those as we go forward."