Warrior Girls’ Soccer Boots Colonels, 5-1

Posted: May 6, 2015
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — After being outplayed for almost the entire first half, the James Wood girls’ soccer team gave itself new life when Neary Casebolt blasted a 15-yard shot into the upper left corner with 30 seconds left to head into halftime down by just one goal.

Sherando did not let the Colonels enjoy it.

The Warriors brushed off the goal and went right back to winning loose balls, creating scoring chances and playing shutdown defense in a 5-1 Northwestern District and Conference 21 victory Tuesday night at Kelican Stadium.

“We knew we were in control of the game,” said Sherando senior forward Erin Magalis, who led an offensive attack that hit two crossbars and one post while firing 18 first-half shots. “We knew we were getting the chances, and when we do that it kind of fuels our fire to keep pushing until we [convert] one.”

Magalis (two goals and one assist) crossed to junior forward Melida Berrios (two goals) for a shot that Berrios grounded just inside the left post with 25 minutes left to make it 3-1, and the Warriors’ intensity did not relent until the final whistle blew.

Games between Winchester/Frederick County girls’ soccer teams have been tight and unpredictable in recent years, but Sherando (9-4 overall, 4-1 Northwestern, 4-2 Conference 21) was in complete control in sweeping its season series this year with the Colonels (5-6, 2-3 in both district and conference).

The Warriors won the first matchup 5-0 on April 16 in Stephens City and only allowed one truly dangerous shot in outshooting defending district champion James Wood 26-7 in the rematch.

“Last year we [split with] them,” said Sherando junior sweeper Alex Snapp. “We knew we wanted to be first in the district this year. To go and get that many goals on a district team from this area — especially since all our area teams are so close in skill — it’s a huge deal, and we’re very happy about it.”

Led by Magalis — who repeatedly won loose balls and put her teammates in good positions with passes — Sherando’s offense was impressive. Senior midfielder Audra Sites was another player who stood out, recorded two assists off long passes and heading in a Taylor Fogarty corner kick to close the scoring.

But as Magalis said, it all starts with defense. Since losing 8-0 to Conference 21 leader Loudoun County on April 15, the Warriors have allowed just three goals in five games, and James Wood was never able to get in a rhythm against the Warriors Tuesday.

“One of the biggest things about our defense is our chemistry,” Snapp said. “As a sweeper and captain, I have to make sure the girls know we are one and don’t take it personally if a goal goes in and it’s your mark. We’re all in it together, and we’ve got great chemistry right now.”

Sherando coach Rob Kilmer said he was impressed with how outside backs Megan Triplett, a sophomore, and freshman Lauren Heskett did with their marking on Tuesday. Kilmer also gave credit to Dreaya Somerville for her defense on James Wood standout midfielder/forward Alex Stanford.

Given that the Warriors hadn’t played in a week because of the Apple Blossom Festival, Kilmer wasn’t sure how his team would respond, but he couldn’t have asked for more.

“I was pleased with how we came out,” said Kilmer, who team needed to wait only eight minutes for Magalis to fire in a high shot into the far left side of the goal from 15 yards out to take a 1-0 lead. “Erin right away has a beautiful, fantastic goal, and that sets things off right.

“This is a huge conference win, because this pretty much keeps us in third in the conference.”

On the other side, James Wood coach Jim Carden probably couldn’t have been more disappointed. In both games against Sherando, he was dismayed to see how much more hustle and intensity the Warriors showed than his team.

“We just have to go back and look at what we’re doing as individuals and as a team,” said Carden, who received eight saves from Charlie Woods-Hulse in goal. “Neary played unbelievable, but Sherando made us look bad again. We’re not as bad as we look, but we’re not together right now. We’re not helping each other. We’re standing around when we should be going to the ball.”

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