STEPHENS CITY — Sherando High School girls’ soccer coach Patrick Gladden might not be talking to his team about making history, but this year’s Warriors continue to do things that are unrecognizable to the current student population.
Sophomore forward Anna Foster scored in the 34th minute, and the Warriors controlled the game thoroughly from there to finish with a 1-0 Class 4 Northwestern District win on Tuesday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The victory was Sherando’s first over James Wood since 2019, and it came 11 days after the Warriors beat Handley for the first time since 2021. Sherando is now 7-0 and 3-0 in the district after outshooting the Colonels (6-2, 2-2) 16-2 over the last 46 minutes of Tuesday’s contest.
The first year head coach Gladden told his team he wants them to focus one game at a time and not worry about the past. But he acknowledged that it is nice to beat a program that has created some rough memories for the Warriors.
“Those seniors who have never beaten them, this is pretty special,” Gladden said.
Senior goalkeeper Rhys Neff did her part by making six saves when the Warriors were playing against the wind in the first half. She wasn’t tested much in the second half as a result of the dominant work by her teammates in front of her.
Neff wasn’t enjoying the windy 30-degree temperatures as she stood on the track with a blanket wrapped around her after Tuesday’s game, but she had no problem smiling when asked about the Warriors’ latest milestone victory.
“We’ve grown so much since my freshman year,” Neff said. “It feels amazing to be able to beat them. It’s just like a reward. Our hard work paid off.”
The Warriors had to work hard in the first half to make sure the Colonels didn’t grab an early edge.
In addition to going against the wind, Sherando was also defending the side of the field closest to the woods in the first half. Gladden described the quarter of the field closest to that goal as “a jungle” because of the length of the grass compared to the other side of the field. As a result, it was difficult to connect, possess and move forward with the ball.
“I told them you have to have that dog in you [with those conditions] to get a goal, and Anna worked hard for that goal,” Gladden said.
After a long, one-hop throw-in into the box from junior Sienna Forrer, Foster settled the ball with two Colonels around her. She then quickly turned and fired the ball with her left foot from 12 yards out past a diving Mary Kimble, who played an outstanding game in goal and made eight saves with regular goalkeeper Alaynah McGuire away on a school chorus trip.
“It’s kind of hard to remember it, because this is such a big game,” Foster said. “But I feel like once I trapped it, I saw my opportunity, and I just knew I had to take it.”
Foster’s quick foot skills around the goal should make her a dangerous threat to Sherando opponents on a routine basis this year.
“She’s definitely a threat every time she’s on the field and touches the ball,” Gladden said. “There’s so much she’s working on to improve. It’s scary to think, ‘If she can score a goal like that, wait until she gets a little bit of space.’ She can hammer a ball, too, when she gets a little bit of space.”
While the Warriors would not score again, there was never a point where they seemed content with their one-goal lead.
“We came back second half even harder than the first half,” Neff said. “And we had the wind with us, so we used that to our advantage most times to keep it up on the other half.”
Once again, Sherando’s defense was stout. The Warriors have allowed only three goals this year, and never more than one in a game.
Radford-bound senior McKenna Hardy centers the defense, with sophomores Emma Defibaugh and Lily Weisbrod on the wings and senior Maggie Tenney playing in front. On Tuesday, Sherando not only became the first team to shut out James Wood this year, but also the first team to keep Maddie Shirley (16 goals coming in) off the scoreboard.
“We kept composure, we passed around, and we made sure we didn’t let the through balls through,” Neff said. “We made sure to talk to each other and communicate, and keep each other’s back.”
After halftime, DeLaney Newcome — who was coming off a two-goal game against Handley — had the Colonels’ best chance to score in the 71st minute after she gained control of a ball that was played ahead into the 18. But Hardy got in front of her and blocked her shot, and then another Warrior cleared the rebound away.
“The girls did a good job of staying the course and keeping Maddie under control and DeLaney under wraps,” Gladden said.
Kimble was a big reason why James Wood was always one play away from evening the game. In addition to the shots she saved, she was able to gather up balls that were played into the box that could have led to Sherando goals.
James Wood coach Donavan Russell said the Colonels started using the senior midfielder in goal in practice a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of McGuire’s trip.
“Mary was absolutely fantastic tonight,” Russell said. “She stepped into a tricky spot, and just played her heart out. She moves really well, and her hands are solid. She didn’t bobble a single ball tonight. I wish the rest of the team would have played the same way she did and just gave everything they had.”
Russell said the Colonels simply did not play to the potential.
“Sherando did a great job,” Russell said. “They game plan worked well, and they played really well. But we didn’t do the things you have to do to win a game. We didn’t pass to our teammates, and we didn’t work hard. We didn’t support each other. We didn’t really show up to play the game.”
On Thursday, James Wood hosts Kettle Run and Sherando hosts Fauquier.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com
Follow on X @WinStarSports1