By John Shifflett / ScrimmagePlay.com contributor
The Nelson County boys’ soccer team ran into a perfect storm in the Region B tournament championship game on Friday night.
With heavy cloud cover providing a fitting backdrop, Bull Run district power George Mason controlled the Governors from start to finish in a 9-0 victory in Lovingston.
The defending Group A state champion Mustangs looked every bit the part, controlling ball possession for much of the game while outshooting Nelson 20-2.
“They kept up the intensity and we didn’t match it,” Nelson coach Jeff Harris said. “At this level, when you don’t play with intensity, things turn against you very quickly.”
The Governors (15-3-2) had reason to be confident heading into the game. Nelson was coming off a 1-0 victory over Clarke County, which handed George Mason its only loss of the season, in the Region B semifinals. But George Mason made sure any good feelings the Governors had about their chances were squashed early on.
The Mustangs scored their first goal at the 32:26 mark and never looked back, adding two more goals before halftime and six more after intermission. Five different George Mason players registered goals, including three by senior forward Nick Smirniotopoulos and two apiece from Harris Schaffer and Andrew Arias, as the Mustangs found the back of the net nine times.
Much of George Mason’s scoring success came off of set pieces. The Mustangs scored three goals off of free kicks and one on a corner kick.
“They were well disciplined on their set pieces and we weren’t,” Harris said. “We have to be more disciplined on our set pieces.”
While the Mustangs were scoring goals at will, Nelson was struggling to get the ball within striking distance. The Governors managed just one shot on goal in each half and never really threatened offensively.
“It was a lack of communication,” said Harris of his team’s offensive woes. “We were playing individually instead of collectively.”
The loss means that Nelson will have to hit the road for the Group A state quarterfinals. The Governors will make the long trip to play the Region A champion on Tuesday.
