By Price Thomas/ Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
William Monroe’s play wasn’t consistent with a strong first half matching up with a less than stellar second half, but in the end, junior Adam Weisenborn’s performance before the break proved enough to lead the Dragons to a key Jefferson District victory over Monticello at Orange County 4-1.
Coming off a tough loss at the hands of Jefferson District foe Western Albemarle, William Monroe was dialed in and ready to play. It only took 10 minutes for the Dragons to open their account, as sophomore forward Marco Ramos eluded the tackles of two Mustang defenders down the right side before coolly slotting the ball underneath the onrushing Mustang keeper.
“Obviously the Western game was bad and I just stressed to them that this is the first game of the second half of the season”, said William Monroe coach Isaac Hutchison. “This was our first chance to set the tone for the next three weeks.”
Cue Weisenborn.
From then the junior marksman took over, factoring heavily in the remaining three Dragon goals. A mere two minutes after Ramos’ tally, Weisenborn broke free down the right side and clinically tucked the ball in the back of the net just out of the reach of the sprawling Mustang goalkeeper. Barely five minutes later Weisenborn turned provider, collecting a ball from sophomore Logan McElroy before floating a beautifully weighted pass to the darting Adolfo Martinez, who took a deft touch around the keeper before hitting the back of the net. With less than a minute left in the first half Weisenborn struck again, breaking free of the Mustang defense and though his initial attempt was rebuffed, he was not to be denied, driving home the rebound and giving the Dragons a commanding 4-0 lead at intermission.
“We came out really strong and we finished 4 out of 5 shots in the first half,” Weisenborn said. “We definitely had a great night finishing.”
The Mustangs came out fighting in the second half as the versatile Nestor Jara’s volley found the back of the net within 53 seconds of kickoff. Even after a tough loss, Mustang coach Adam Southall was impressed with his squad’s second half performance.
“Down 4-0 everyone thinks that you’re done. That you are just gonna take it and that you have no fight in you. But I told them this is their finest moment. This is that moment when you stand up. You have to decide. You have to step up and take responsibility and we adjusted and came out with fire.”
Coach Hutchison described Weisenborn as a “workhorse” and a “difference maker”, and if Monday night’s performance was any indication, the rest of the Jefferson District is going to have their hands full for the second half of the campaign.
