James Wood girls' soccer tops Loudoun County for first region win

WINCHESTER — The James Wood girls’ soccer team had an opportunity to avenge its other 2019 postseason loss on Monday, and the Colonels didn’t waste any time taking advantage of it.

The Colonels scored six minutes into the game, led by two goals 17 minutes in and never that lead decrease in a historic 3-1 win over Loudoun County in the Region 4C semifinals at Kelican Stadium.

James Wood (12-0-2) won its first regional tournament game in program history by outplaying one of the elite programs in the state in Loudoun County (10-3-1). The Captains were 2019 state finalists and have won three Class 4 state titles since 2015.

In the Class 4 Northwestern District final, James Wood avenged a defeat in the 2019 district final to Handley on the Judges’ field. On Monday, the Colonels defeated a Loudoun County team that ended James Wood’s 2019 season in the same Region 4C semifinal round in Leesburg with a 2-0 win.

“[In 2019], we made it this game and we weren’t able to get past it,” said James Wood junior forward Olivia Walker, who assisted the Colonels’ opening two goals and scored in the 66th minute to put James Wood up 3-0. “It’s exciting to be able to get past it and move on.”

The Colonels will play the Handley-Dominion winner in the championship game. That game started Monday night in Sterling but was halted with 22 minutes left in the first half and the Titans up 1-0. That game resumed at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The time, date and location of the championship game will depend on which team wins.

Even though Loudoun County has a rich history, the Colonels weren’t fazed by that in the least. James Wood coach Donavan Russell noted that senior goalkeeper Sadie Kerns, freshman midfielder McKenna Newcome and Walker all play for various age group teams for Loudoun Soccer in the Elite Clubs National League, so they know the players on the Captains well. In Walker’s case, five of the people who play for Loudoun County are her teammates with Loudoun Soccer.

The Captains took a soft shot four minutes into the game that sailed wide, but they wouldn’t get another one while James Wood built a 2-0 lead over the ensuing 13 minutes.

Walker played a ball from the left side six minutes in to a wide-open Kaitlyn Mounts in the center of the penalty box, and the senior knocked the ball in on her first touch to make it 1-0. Eleven minutes later, Walker played a ball from the center of the field to junior Sidney Rathel inside the box on the left side, and she buried her shot to make it 2-0.

“[Loudoun County] probably didn’t expect us to score that early,” Walker said. “It definitely brought us up and gave us a lot of energy throughout the rest of the game.”

The two passes couldn’t have been placed any better by Walker, who now has 15 goals and 18 assists. She finished the Colonels’ scoring by taking a pass from Mounts, driving hard toward the left end line, then cut the ball back and chipped it past the goalkeeper inside the far right post.

“Olivia’s a great soccer player, a fantastic kid, and is very coachable and smart,” Russell said. “I’ve asked her to turn more towards the goal, and she’s done that. The composure on the first goal to get it down there, pull it back and send that ball across was fantastic, and she showed composure on the last goal.

“She made plays time and time again. This was probably one of her best games, and it was against a team that knows her. She was going to come out, execute and do well, and she did. I’m proud of her.”

Russell also raved about James Wood’s defense. The Colonels have been outstanding all year, and they never let Loudoun County get into a rhythm.

The back four of Julia Watts, Abigail Ensogna, Grace Hawkins and Anna Woodson, and midfielder Brooke Geary did an excellent job of putting itself in good positions, winning 50-50 balls and forcing low-percentage shots from the Captains, who came in averaging four goals per game.

Loudoun County didn’t have a shot on goal until it hit the crossbar on a free kick from more than 40 yards out in the final seconds of the first half. The Captains ended with a 14-10 shot advantage, but only put five on goal as Kerns made three saves.

“I feel like this was one of our better games,” Woodson said. “We played our game and kept the ball in front of us.”

Loudoun County’s Taylor Simmons scored less than a minute after Walker on a long-range shot, but James Wood played solidly over the remainder of the game to maintain its 3-1 lead.

Russell thought the Colonels had to be perfect on defense against an attack that had only scored fewer than two goals three times (twice against Dominion), and they were pretty close.

“[Loudoun County is] fast on the corners,” Russell said. “Grace Hawkins on the outside, Abby [Ensogna] on the outside were just wonderful. They were being smart, not making bad decisions and taking themselves out of the play. Annalee [Woodson’s] great, Brooke Geary played fantastic. Watts seemed a little nervous after the Handley game, but she just made great decision after great decision. She played her guts out.”

The whole team fought with everything it had, which prompted a lot of smiles and hugs after the game.

“After we won the district finals, I was super excited, but there was a feeling there was so much more to do and you don’t really absorb it and enjoy it,” Russell said. “When we got done with this game I felt the emotion of this team taking our program farther than anybody else, building on what the previous teams have done, all of Jim Carden’s teams, the 2019 team.

“The emotions are overwhelming. I try to stay calm and even-keeled, but I wasn’t that calm after this one. I’m proud of the girls. This is fantastic. It’s fun to see them succeed.”

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
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