James Wood girls' soccer routs Fauquier for region berth

WINCHESTER — After teaming up for a goal in the 14th minute, James Wood juniors Olivia Walker and Sidney Rathel came together and jogged back to the Colonels’ side of the field with huge smiles on their faces.

It sure felt good to make opposing goalkeepers stomp around the back of the net with regularity again.

After scoring a total of two goals against Millbrook in its last two games, James Wood’s previously explosive attack erupted in an 11-0 win over Fauquier that was abbreviated to 60 minutes in Thursday’s Class 4 Northwestern District semifinals at Kelican Stadium.

Games can only end after 60 minutes if one team is up by eight goals. The Colonels (10-0-2) led 8-0 at halftime en route to clinching their second straight Region 4C tournament berth. They’ll host Handley at 5:30 p.m. in Tuesday’s district championship game.

“We had trouble scoring in the past two games,” said James Wood captain and senior midfielder Katelyn Mounts, who ripped a left-footed shot inside the far right post to make it 7-0 in the 34th minute. “I think it was really important for us to work on finishing and finding the people going forward.”

Walker’s assist to Rathel in the 14th minute gave James Wood a 4-0 lead, equaling the number of goals the team had scored in its previous three games, two of which ended in ties. The Colonels tied Millbrook 0-0 in the regular-season finale, then needed nearly 60 minutes to break through against the Pioneers in a 2-0 quarterfinal win on Tuesday.

In the seven games prior to the Colonels’ 2-2 tie with Kettle Run on May 24, James Wood scored at least three goals and talllied 42 total goals. One of those contests was an 8-0 win over Fauquier, which fell to 3-9 on Thursday.

Rathel (four goals, one assist) and Walker (two goals, two assists) were particularly integral in James Wood’s hot start, scoring two goals apiece as the Colonels took that 4-0 lead. Senior Ella Myers added two goals of her own in the first half, and freshman McKenna Newcome closed out the scoring in the 56th minute with a shot from outside the 18 after previously recording three assists.

James Wood coach Donavan Russell wanted a fast start and he got it. Rathel had the first of two square left-to-right passes in the fourth minute, with Walker scoring in the center near the top of the 18 after taking a pass from Maddy Milburn (two assists).

“Millbrook did a really good job against us, and we were fighting for goals,” Russell said. “This game, our plan was to play the way we played the first third of the season. Really try to work together, work to the top and get that ball in front of the net and put it in. I think we did that.”

James Wood’s superlative defense certainly did its job as well. The back four of Julia Watts, Abigail Ensogna, Grace Hawkins, Anna Woodson didn’t force Sadie Kerns to make a save until the second half when it was 10-0. James Wood had a 25-1 shot advantage.

Also for the Colonels, sophomores Lydia Watson and Brooke Geary had assists, and freshman JV call-ups Kelsey Gass (goal) and Madeline Heustis (assist) also helped keep the scoreboard operator busy. Gass scored within a couple of minutes of coming into the game off a corner kick to make it 8-0, and Heustis had a perfect long lead pass down the right side to Myers who made it 6-0.

Walker opened her post-game comments by saying how excited she was for those recent additions to the squad to contribute. Sami Stevens also played on Thursday.

“We work a lot on culture,” Russell said. “The coaching staff and I talk about it all the time. What do we want from these kids that come up, what do we want from our leadership.

“Sadie Kerns has been an amazing captain. She was captain through the pandemic, working with the girls and communicating. She’s led so much off the field, organizing team dinners, even taking the young players as they come up and making sure they’re included. Leadership and that kind of culture is so important. It’s a culture of team first, and how we can make each other better. That’s really our focus.”

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
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