Any time you’re playing Christchurch, you’ve got to account the Seahorses’ dynamic midfielder Pat Young, the New Jersey native who’s bound for University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
If you can contain Young, you’ve got a chance to knock off Christchurch.
Blue Ridge, and more specifically All-VIC longstick midfielder David McSkimming, was up to the task Tuesday on the road, and in turn, the No. 5-seeded Barons upset No. 4 Christchurch with an 11-6 victory in the first round of the VISAA Division I tournament.
“He was big on our scouting report and McSkimming got the assignment,” said Blue Ridge coach Kyle Gardner. “He’s been up challenge all year.”
McSkimming, who finished with 14 ground balls and an assist on the night, spearheaded the Barons’ defensive effort. That effort helped Blue Ridge jump out to an 8-2 lead on the Seahorses and Blue Ridge held on from there despite a long rain delay that seemed to kill the Barons’ early momentum.
“That gave Christchurch a chance to re-evalutate what they were doing,” Gardner said.
Christchurch closed the gap to 8-6 with four-straight goals after that initial weather delay. and the Barons led 9-6 when the second weather delay hit.
After that second delay, Christchurch couldn’t get things going and the Barons pulled away.
Virginia Independent Conference player of the year Tanner Fisher led the Blue Ridge offensive effort with four goals and a pair of assists. Blue Ridge put in a couple of new wrinkles in the offense this week that allowed them to attack from every spot on the field which kept the Christchurch defense honest against Fisher’s electric presence.
Tyler Pace’s two goals and three assists combined with Cory Takahara’s two goals and two assists to round out the bulk of the Barons’ scoring. In the cage, Nick Voso finished with 10 saves for Blue Ridge.
“We were really fired up coming out, doing something we haven’t done in school history (playing in the Division I tournament — the Barons moved up two years ago),” Gardner said. “To come out and get a win on the road is huge.”
Now the Saints get a chance Friday in the Division I semifinals to avenge an earlier loss to St. Anne’s-Belfield. The Saints beat the Barons 8-7 in St. George, Friday’s semifinal is at STAB’s home turf.
