No Winner As Warriors, Colonels Draw

Posted: May 11, 2016
By JOSH DORSEY
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — It took 90 minutes Tuesday between the James Wood and Sherando girls’ soccer teams and still nothing was decided.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw after the 80 minutes of regulation and two five-minute overtime periods. The draw between two teams vying for second place in Conference 21 West leaves Sherando in second at 5-3-3 and James Wood close behind at 6-5-1.

“We haven’t played a game in over two weeks,” said Sherando coach Rob Kilmer. “We haven’t been on a practice field or shot on a goal in over two weeks. ... The team we responded well. Our defense played pretty well. We made one slip-up marking in the back but the girls in the back did a pretty good job.”

“The game could have gone either way,” James Wood coach Jim Carden said. “And when you have a game that could go either way, you couldn’t ask anymore.”

Both teams start freshman keepers and Wood’s Claire Beccaccio and Sherando’s Kara Hendren were perfect with six saves in a scoreless first half.

“If there is a better goalie in the conference I don’t know who it is,” Kilmer said of Hendren. “I feel very secure with her back there. I know she’s a freshman but it’s like having a veteran back there.”

The Colonels broke through in the 48th minute after being awarded a corner kick. Emily Denton took the corner and chipped a high arching cross after the ball was played back to her. The pass found the head of freshman midfielder Maddy Myers, who placed it perfectly outside the reach of Hendren.

The Colonels manufactured several scoring opportunities after striking first that were turned away.

But when it appeared the Colonels were in control, a Sherando counter-attack squared the match.

Warriors junior striker Megan Triplett broke free from the Colonels defense and buried a shot in the corner of the net to tie the game.

“Sydney [Hunter] had it and was dribbling down the field,” Triplett said. “She brought the defender towards her and played it to me. It was a breakaway and I got a good shot off.”

“In the first half, we were flat and the second half was much better,” Kilmer said. “We played with more energy. We went flat when we gave up the goal. We responded. Sydney gave a great ball to Megan and Megan is on kind of a streak now that’s like four or five games in a row she’s scored. You need those goal scorers to step up and get it done.”

After the goal, the Colonels went back to blanketing the Warriors attack. Sweeper Neary Casebolt played the key role on defense.

“Defense, I don’t think is my strong suit but I know I have to stop the ball,” Casebolt said. “We tried it out in the beginning then I went back to the midfield. Then they moved me back against SVCA (a 3-2 win last Thursday). The hardest part is being the last one back there. I’m used to having someone in the back that can see what I can’t and tell me what to do. So that helps me be that person now that I’m playing in the back.”

Casebolt’s efforts have earned high praises from her coach.

“She’s just awesome,” Carden said. “I’ve played her all over. She never says anything. She’s the ultimate team player. She never gives up and is fighting the whole time. It’s really something to see.”

Despite the smothering the defense, the Colonels could not capitalize. They lost leading scorer Emily Denton with 10 minutes to go in regulation when she tangled legs with a defender and left the game. They also lost Myers in overtime after she took a hard hit to the head from a clearing ball.

“I thought Sherando played us tight,” Carden said. “We made the one mistake really but we played 90 minutes and it’s 1-1 so I can’t complain. We may have lost Emily [Denton] and she’s going to be hard to replace. She’s scored 30 goals. Really the tie helps us. But every team now knows that she’s not there so we will see what happens.”