Of course the Patriots had a 1-0 lead going into halftime. But that score didn’t exactly portray how things felt in the first half. Facing Thomas Jefferson in the Region 5A North quarterfinals with the season on the line, Albemarle got out in front and after a handful of close calls. The Patriots looked their usual selves on defense, and after some poking and prodding, they kicked down the door offensively on the Vikings in the second half to pick up a 5-0 win.
“We possesed the ball well but played a bit frantic early,” said Albemarle coach Amy Sherrill. “We were up against a team that we were unfamiliar with, so yeah, things were a bit shaky to start but it was really nice to get that first half goal to build some confidence. In the second we just pushed them to stick to being ‘us’ not anything that wasn’t ‘us’ and things finally bounced our way.”
To nobody’s surprise, the stout Albemarle defense made sure goalkeepers Catie Grebe and Aiyanah Tyler-Cooper saw little work. The Patriots defense was on point yet again, helping Albemarle to a 16th shutout on the season. No team has scored on Albemarle since March 14 when Atlee got a goal in a 3-1 Patriots win. The Vikings spent the majority of Thursday evening on their heels playing defense and registered just three shots. They’re best chances came on a pair of corner kicks in the middle of the first half.
“Our defense was solid again and has been all year.” Sherrill said. “We started our sophomore goalie (Grebe) and had confidence in her. Our players responded well.”
Sunny Gelnovatch had a huge game offensively with a goal and two assists. She put Albemarle up 1-0 when she punched in a rebound with 26:56 remaining the first.
“I saw the ball pop out of the 18 and it’s my job as a midfielder to redirect it,” Gelnovatch said. “So I shot when I got the chance. It was an intense game and that was a good team. We faced a lot adversity early but were able to overcome it.”
Albemarle’s Hannah Eiden was a force in the first half, and saw a header off a corner kick late in the first hit the cross bar. The Patriots had four chances just miss in the first half, but their fate would change in the second, although finishing rebounds wound up being a theme.
“We had a (tie game) with Mountain View early in the year and that popped into my head today when we kept hitting the posts,” Sherrill said. “If we had just put in the extra effort to follow, we would have won that game. In this game the team realized that they can go far if they dug deep and kept pushing.”
Apparently, Sherrill’s players have learned that lesson. With 27:10 left in the second, Leticia Freitas finished a rebound off to make it 2-0.
“I hit the post but knew I had to keep going and get it back and get the goal for my team,” Freitas said. “You’ve got to be tough and finish through the play.”
Just under three minutes later, Gelnovatch hit Brooke Bauman who’s first shot also hit the post, but in following her shot she was treated to a wide open net and goal to make it 3-0.
Up comfortably, the Patriots went in full defensive mode and burned out the clock. Late in the second they were able to add to their total with Thomas Jefferson clearly worn down on a hot day. Katie Schnell struck on a goal off a Gelnovatch pass with just over five minutes to play. Then 90 seconds later, Freitas picked up her second goal of the game to wrap up the scoring.
“I think working out in the heat this week to prepare for today made a big difference,” Sherrill said. “We worked hard. It looked like (Thomas Jefferson) wore down and we’re so used to playing on a turf field, that definitely helps.”
Albemarle (17-0-1) advances to the Region 5A North semifinals where a state tournament berth will be on the line. The Patriots await their opponent with the game to be played at Albemarle on Wednesday.
