By Nick Eilerson / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
If there was any doubt about the scariest team in the Jefferson District at the start of the week, Fluvanna kicked it to the curb Monday night. In a pivotal away contest against the district’s third-ranked team, the Flying Flucos steamrolled Orange County 4-0 to remain undefeated on the season.
Orange kept things tight for much of the first half, but a goal by senior forward Taylor Rafaly in the 17th minute broke the game open for Fluvanna. The Flucos utilized a steady, build-up style of attack to dominate time of possession and get multiple players involved in the attacking third. Four different Flucos tallied goals, a total that easily could have been higher.
“We’re still not where we want to be, but we’re getting there,” Fluvanna coach Patrick Dieter said. “Tonight was one of our better complete games. We’ve been putting halves together, 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there, but tonight we had it together for most of the game.”
Orange nearly struck first in the seventh minute off a free kick by senior Will Henriquez. The powerful 25-yard blast appeared headed for goal, but Fluvanna’s senior goalkeeper Nick Greco made a spectacular diving save to keep the match scoreless. Rafaly dialed in 10 minutes later for the Flucos, running onto a loose ball in the box to blast his shot far post for the go-ahead goal.
“That kind of gave us some momentum,” Rafaly said. “We had a lot more chances, but it gave us a second, third, fourth goal. It kind of set all that up because once you get that first goal, it gives you a shift of momentum.”
The Hornets almost answered three minutes later when senior Danny Goodsell received a lofted cross and found himself all alone in front of goal. But Greco came up big again for Fluvanna, this time making a nice reaction save to tip Goodsell’s shot over the bar. Goodsell again found open space in front of goal on the ensuing corner kick, but his header went straight to Greco.
Like just about every soccer game played on Orange’s home turf, a frenetic back-and-forth pace characterized the remainder of the game, with Fluvanna doing its best to counter the Hornets’ straightforward attack by opening up passing lanes and executing patient ball movement. A handball wiped out another Rafaly goal in the 27th minute, but a set play executed to perfection off a free kick just outside the Orange box nine minutes later made up for it. Junior midfielder Jake Domenic laced a deft chip over the Orange wall, allowing senior midfielder Tygh Allbaugh to run onto the ball and hammer home his team’s second goal.
“I really felt like the game plan that we had in the first 20 minutes, it was a dog fight between both sides,” Orange coach Dwayne Pugh said. “Ultimately, we blew some chances and their goalie made some wonderful saves. They’re just too good of a passing team. They just passed around and cascaded and made us have to chase their backside. I think that fatigue was a big factor, especially in the second half when they got the upper hand, and there really wasn’t a whole lot that we did that I felt like was equal to what they were doing in the second half.”
Indeed, the Flucos took complete control of the game’s late stages, taking a 6-2 shots-on-goal advantage in the second half in addition to numerous shots that sailed wide of the target. A foul near the edge of the Orange box in the 63rd minute gave Fluvanna a PK, which senior midfielder Josh Hinkle calmly slotted into the left corner of the goal. The final nail in the coffin came in garbage time when senior midfielder Josue Franco chased down a long ball on the right flank and swooped a cross into junior midfielder Sean Dean, who one-timed the ball into the net.
The decisive win will give the Flucos confidence heading into a home showdown against Charlottesville on Thursday.
“Considering we’ve played everyone but Charlottesville I think [the win] gives us perspective on how we’re going to have to perform against every team, and what kind of level of intensity we’re going to have to have against the top teams, like Orange, Western, Monticello, the teams that have given us a tougher time,” Rafaly said.
Orange will have to sit on the blowout for another week, as their next match comes next Tuesday at Charlottesville.
“We lost focus on what good soccer is, and with [Fluvanna], you’re not just going to out-talent them; you’ve got to play a strategy game,” Pugh said.
