Fast start propels Wood girls past Loudoun Valley

WINCHESTER — During the James Wood girls' soccer team's pre-game huddle on Monday, Colonels coach Donavan Russell could be overheard saying,"Start fast."

James Wood's players heeded that message well, and it's a good thing that they did.

Sophomore forward Jolie Jenkins scored less than a minute into the game to send the Colonels on their way to three goals in the first 21 minutes, and James Wood held off a Loudoun Valley rally in the second half to win 3-2 in non-district action at Kelican Field.

James Wood was without All-District players and captains Brooke Geary and Lydia Watson for most of the second due to ailments, but the Colonels did not allow a shot after Claire Jensen scored on a corner kick with about 10 minutes left to cut James Wood's lead to 3-2.

After the strong start and fierce finish, the Colonels are now 3-1. The Vikings — whose first two games were against Class 5 schools — fell to 0-2-1.

"I loved it," said Russell when asked about James Wood's execution at the outset. "We had the kind of intensity we've been lacking a little bit. We've been pushing the players to A, work together, and B, do it quickly, with intensity. First five minutes, first home game, I wanted to make sure we were making a statement with what we can do.

"Second half, we came out strong, and [Loudoun Valley] did as well. [Our] toughness was critical in the end."

James Wood looked like it might cruise to victory early.

Jenkins headed in a cross from junior midfielder Jasmine Hackman about 10 yards away from the left near post less than a minute into the game. That was followed by two crosses along the ground from the left side that produced goals.

Jenkins made a short pass to junior midfielder McKenna Newcome in the goal box to make it 2-0 in the 13th minute and junior Kelsey Gass connected in the 21st minute with Jenkins, who flicked the ball in from 15 yards out with her first touch to make it 3-0 in the 21st minute.

The Colonels had an 8-1 shot advantage at that point in the game, with Vikings sophomore goalkeeper Lizzie Thornton keeping the score from being more one-sided with three of her seven saves in the first 21 minutes.

James Wood lost Olivia Walker and Sidney Rathel (combined 47 goals and 36 assists last year) to graduation, but that opening stretch showed just how dangerous the Colonels can be on the attack. James Wood has scored at least two goals in every game and opened the year with 10 goals against Skyline.

"We still have great pressure as a team," Jenkins said.

"I think our technical ability up front is really good," Newcome said. "Just our ability to string passes again this year. We're able to keep the ball really well all the way across because we have technical ability in the back, in the midfield and up top."

One of the people who has joined the attack in the midfield is Maddie Shirley. The sophomore earned All-District honors for defense last year when she was actually playing out of position — Russell said she had never played defense before then. She has three goals and four assists this season and had the game-winning goal with four minutes left in Friday's 2-1 Class 4 Northwestern District win over Kettle Run.

In the second half on Monday, James Wood had to make use of its depth. Geary, a senior defensive midfielder and All-Region selection last year, felt ill and came out about five minutes into the second half. Ten minutes later, Watson, one of James Wood's center backs, joined her on the bench.

In the second half, Russell played Gass on defense despite Gass not having much experience there previously this season, and moved freshman Avery Wright from right back to center. Russell also felt Sloane Ferrebee did well in the back, and he moved Newcome to a defensive midfield spot at the end of the game.

Loudoun Valley's Kate Mercer scored on a direct kick in the 57th minute to make it 3-1, but the two set piece goals were all the Vikings could manage to get through to the net. James Wood wound up with a 14-7 shot advantage for the game.

"I was really proud of the team for how they fought to win," said Russell, who also praised his team for its ability to adjust in the post-game huddle.

"I think we're building through adversity really well," Newcome said. "Just staying together, staying positive. Even when we got two goals scored on us in the second half, we just had to keep working and play for each other."

James Wood has won the last two Class 4 Northwestern District regular-season titles, and the Colonels should be in the hunt for a third based on the way they're playing so far.

"I think we're going to compete night in and night out, for sure," Russell said. 'It's a tough district and a hard region. We're going to pull out some wins like we did against Kettle Run. It does feel a little different than last year, scoring less goals than we have in the past. But it's a good group of kids. Very talented, and very athletic. If I get them in the right spots, hopefully, we'll make a run."

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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