Wood completes girls' soccer sweep of Handley

WINCHESTER — The James Wood girls’ soccer team knew it was going to get a major fight from a Handley team that wanted to take advantage of playing at home and avenge its only loss of the season.

Once again, the Colonels were up for the challenge against a local rival.

In a contest that was much closer than the score indicated, James Wood completed a season sweep of the Judges with a 4-0 Class 4 Northwestern District victory at James R. Wilkins Jr. Stadium on Tuesday.

James Wood scored three of its four goals in the last four minutes in improving to 4-0, with each win coming against Winchester-Frederick County competition. The Judges fell to 3-2.

“Handley’s always our biggest competition,” said junior midfielder Sidney Rathel, who broke the tie with a goal off a corner kick in the 53rd minute of the second half and assisted the last goal. “Whenever we play them we might start a little nervous, but we know we have to get done what we know we can do.

“We put all our hearts into this. It’s just so exciting when we get wins against Handley.”

It was an even battle throughout much of the game. The Colonels (15-9 shot edge) took the lead for good less than a minute after it looked like Handley might take the lead, and both James Wood goalkeeper Sadie Kerns and Handley goalkeeper Emma Westfall made eight saves.

“We knew we were going to get their best game,” said James Wood coach Donavan Russell, whose Colonels topped Handley 2-1 at home on April 29. “It was a great first game.

“We stuck with the same kind of game plan. We just wanted to play really solid soccer. That’s been our big M.O. We’re solid on the back line, we’re solid through the middle, we’re solid up top. And we knew if we just kept working and working and working, the goals would come.”

A big play from their NCAA Division I-bound goalkeeper Kerns helped break the scoreless tie.

Kerns (heading to Longwood) came out and slid forward along the turf to deny Handley junior Mikayla Balio in the 52nd minute. Balio was able to get a touch on a ball, but it went too far away from her feet and Kerns was able to swallow the ball up.

Kerns then boomed a long punt to start a counterattack that had the Colonels practically on top of Handley’s goal seconds later.

“I tried to transition quickly to get us on the attack and try to catch them off guard,” Kerns said.

Emma Westfall saved a close-range shot from Olivia Walker (two goals), but a rebound shot from Ella Myers was deflected out for a corner kick.

McKenna Newcome’s delivery from the left corner went into the center of the box. After the ball was knocked around by a few players, the ball went to Rathel on the right side. She buried her opportunity from eight yards out.

“That was just so exciting, seeing us score,” said Kerns, who was limping slightly after throwing herself to the turf a few times on Tuesday. “Especially after coming off kind of a rocky first half, just seeing them score is just amazing, that feeling.”

“On this [artificial turf] field, you can play that counterattack,” Russell said. “I asked the girls to play quicker. A lot of that was on Sadie, seeing what was going on and playing the ball quick.”

Rathel said she was just at the right place at the right time when she scored. James Wood has had a knack for putting itself in good positions in all phases of the game this year.

“Our front five, they just move so well without the ball, and pass to each other,” Russell said. “They just really gel. It’s great with zero scrimmages and four games in that they’re gelling so well. They’ve got smart soccer IQ,”

Kerns made a save on a point-blank shot from Jordan Lill a couple minutes later, but after that the Colonels didn’t allow much in recording their third straight shutout. Center back Julia Watts was flanked by outside backs Abigail Ensogna and Grace Hawkins, with Annalee Woodson, who assisted the third goal, fronting her.

“I feel like we’re just getting in front of the ball and communicating well,” Kerns said. “We’re really looking out for each other.”

Hawkins played ball into the box that produced a Handley own goal in the 76th minute, then Walker added two goals in the next two minutes to complete the scoring.

Judges coach Haleigh Echard said she would have liked to have seen her team play with more focus after giving up the second goal, but she feels like her team is improving.

“I think we’re definitely coming together and we’re starting to gel and kind of figuring out how each other plays,” Echard said. “I’m proud of the effort we gave for the first 75 minutes. We talked about them kind of getting down on themselves after the own goal happened, and we’re going to learn from it and grow from it. But I’m definitely proud of this team. We’re well on our way to getting it together by postseason.”

Each team had its opportunities to score in the first half. The Colonels had a 5-4 shot edge, with Kerns and Westfall each making three saves. The Judges had a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks at the break.

Handley’s best chance to score came in the 23rd minute. A long ball was played from Handley’s side toward Balio stationed about 40 yards from goal in the middle of the field, and the ball bounced past her and behind the James Wood defense. Balio turned and ran onto the ball, but she briefly lost control on her run toward goal and she pushed a ball to the right of the goal as Kerns came charging out.

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