Brendan Moyers scored the go-ahead goal on a free kick with just over 10 minutes to play and assisted on Albemarle’s other goal in a 2-1 victory over Charlottesville Friday afternoon.
It was the completion of a game that had been suspended a couple of weeks ago due to inclement weather.
The victory secured the regular-season Jefferson District title for the Patriots who lost just one game against a district foe this year, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Western.
The teams seemed destined for a draw until a Charlottesville foul just outside the box in the 70th minute. Moyers calmly lined it up and sent the penalty kick past diving CHS goalie Carter Kitchin, who up until then had registered four saves.
“We played hard, we gave it our all, we gave up a foul, what can you do?” CHS coach Stephan Cost said. “[Albemarle] is a good team, they’ve got some great players, and their goalie is a wall.”
The Patriots then had to endure a furious rally from the Black Knights in the closing minutes, with seemingly all the action in the final moments taking place in front of the AHS goal. But the Patriots’ defense was equal to each challenge.
“We teach our guys to head the ball away when there’s danger, and to their credit they did just that,” said AHS coach Jeff Balnave.
Midway through the first half, the Patriots scored off of a free kick. Moyers grounded it into the box from the left side and Michael Vaughn finished it to give Albemarle a 1-0 lead which they took into halftime.
“I thought we possessed the ball well in that first 20 minutes,” Balnave said. “CHS, to their credit, fought really hard. They made us work. I think that stress is good for us. I think it’s good going into the playoffs coming off a game like this.”
The Black Knights answered in the 53rd minute when Hussein Osman played a perfect cross into the middle for Theo Heard, who beat AHS goalie Jake Gelnovatch to level things at one.
Both teams were a bit sluggish to start, with Charlottesville failing to register a shot in the first half while Albemarle had just two. The teams finished with six and seven, respectively. Albemarle took four corners to Charlottesville’s four.
Along with the district title, Albemarle has also sewn up the top seed in the Conference 16 tournament, meaning it will receive a first-round bye and host a game on Wednesday. Charlottesville will travel to Fluvanna for its next game as they look to close out the regular season.
