It’s become kind of a time-tested theory. Central Virginia’s top soccer squads generally are in pretty good shape until they run into one of the elite teams in soccer-rich Northern Virginia. That’s where many good, and even great, seasons go to die.
Albemarle’s boys soccer ran into the cream of a very good crop out of Northern Virginia Wednesday night in 17-1 Osbourn Park, the Washington Post coverage area’s No. 1-ranked boys soccer team. It’s a team that Albemarle’s program is all too familiar with too. The Yellow Jackets eliminated Albemarle in the region playoffs in both 2008 and 2009.
This time, the Patriots didn’t flinch.
“We finally met their intensity,” said Albemarle coach Scott Jackson.
Albemarle went beyond just meeting Osbourn Park’s intensity and picked up a 2-0 victory and a state tournament berth by knocking off the Yellow Jackets in the Northwest Region semifinals.
“We were definitely the underdogs going in but we did everything right,” Jackson said. “We left our hearts on the field.”
Osbourn Park came after Albemarle but the Patriots counterpunched early on and held strong against the Yellow Jackets. The game was still deadlocked at a 0-0 tie until with 18 minutes to go, Kai Marshall got free after a series of crisp passes. Marshall struck a ball toward streaking Patriot freshman Marcel Berry across the penalty box. Berry blasted the shot into the back of the net and gave Albemarle a 1-0 advantage.
Not to be outdone by his classmate, another freshman, Jesus Duran, also finished off a Marshal feed just eight minutes later that gave the Patriots some insurance down the stretch.
“This is the deepest team that we’ve ever had (in Jackson’s five-year tenure),” Jackson said. “They’re all really good players and to see (the freshmen) do that isn’t really a surprise.”
Goalie Matt Natale notched seven saves for the Patriots in the win. Albemarle will head to Stafford County Thursday night at 6 p.m. to face off against district foe Colonial Forge for the fourth time this year. Forge has held Albemarle at bay this year, winning all three previous meetings. With a win, the Patriots would earn a home game in next week’s Group AAA quarterfinals. A loss will mean a road trip for the Patriots.
