Wood girls’ soccer falls to Liberty

May 4, 2012
By Mark Sawyer

Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — What started out as a very promising day turned out to be a disappointing evening for the James Wood girls’ soccer team.

Hoping to kick off a nice Apple Blossom weekend with a win, the Colonels found winless Liberty on the schedule as their opponent Thursday night, their third non-district game this week and their final non-district game of the season.

Little did they know, however, that they would have to not only battle the Eagles, but Mother Nature as well — and in the end the Colonels lost to both.

Though no rain ever fell from the sky the game had two lengthy delays because of thunder and lightning in the area, the second coming just as the first half was ending.

As the lightning hung around the area, and the night got later and later, game and school officials, along with James Wood coach Jim Carden, decided that it was in the best interest of both teams to call the game at the half with Liberty leading 1-0. “We waited as long as we could,” Carden said. “We’ve got to get (Liberty) home. They’ve got a game tomorrow night and they have a long way to go so that’s the best thing for us to do. If they were a local team we would’ve waited longer but we can’t do that to them. It’s unfortunate because it’s such a nice night.”

It was James Wood’s second straight defeat this week to a Fauquier County school (they lost 3-1 to Fauquier Tuesday) and gave the Eagles a split of the season series with the Colonels (both games ended 1-0).

It was also the first win of the year for Liberty.

“Thank goodness it’s a non-district game, that’s all I can say,” Carden said. “We’ve got three district games to go, that’s going tell us where we’re at.”

Merely 10 minutes into the contest game officials stopped play and had a brief discussion before pulling both teams off the field and sending them to the locker rooms because one heard thunder.

The game was delayed for 34 minutes at that point before the teams returned to the field.

When play resumed, the Eagles (1-6-3) immediately took advantage. Set up with an indirect kick in the Colonels’ side of the field, the Eagles made two quick passes before freshman Kelli Burney lofted a shot towards the goal from outside the Colonel penalty box.

Burney didn’t hit it hard but did hit it perfectly. The ball drifted slowly towards the Colonel goal and just over the outstretched hands of Colonel keeper Vanessa Sousa.

The play happened so quickly that the game clock never started from the weather delay and still showed 30 minutes left in the half.

From there on out, though, it was all Colonels.

James Wood (5-8-1) dominated play with quicker, sharper, better passes and more odd man rushes and more break-out opportunities.

The last 30 minutes of the first half was played primarily in the Eagles’ half of the field. The only thing the Colonels didn’t do right was get enough shots on goal or put any in the back of the net.

Eagle goalkeeper Taylor Welch pitched a shutout, but not because of a lot of great saves. She was only challenged a handful of times and was equal to the task on those plays, but the Colonels left the stadium thinking about the missed opportunities.

Welch only had to make three saves, but had the ball in and around her box most of the night.

“We had chances,” Carden said. “You’ve got to put those chances away, when you don’t you pay. That’s what happened tonight.”

With the non-district schedule behind them, the Colonels will now focus on the remainder of the Northwestern District regular season and tournament.

Wood is currently in a three-way dog fight with Skyline and Sherando for third place in the district standings. All three teams have one win with three games left.