By Nick Eilerson / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Coming off two straight losses and locked in a scoreless tie against a resilient Monticello squad Monday night, Fluvanna needed a hero to lift them out of an ever-deepening hole. Senior forward Taylor Rafaly came to the rescue with a pair of second half goals to propel the Flucos to a much-needed 2-1 road win.
In the face of a late two-goal deficit, the Mustangs refused to surrender and were determined to make the match’s waning minutes as frantic as possible for the visitors. Miguel Gomez — a pesky thorn in the Fluvanna defense’s side all night long — cut the Flucos’ lead in half when he ran onto a thru-ball unmarked, cut the ball back to his favored right foot and slotted a shot past the outstretched fingertips of goalkeeper Nick Greco. Monticello scrapped and clawed for the remaining 10 minutes of play but never really threatened Greco again.
“We’ve kind of been in a slump and this was a good game to turn it around and get a win,” Rafaly said. “Hopefully coming forward from this we can each improve our own game to then improve our team’s standing.”
Rafaly opened the scoring in the 52nd minute off a piece of open field brilliance. Receiving a ball sent down the middle of the field in stride, Rafaly cleverly sliced through two defenders and blasted a well-placed shot past a helpless Milton Ortiz to put the Flucos up 1-0.
Monticello nearly equalized less than two minutes later. A scramble in front of the Fluvanna goal eventually brought the ball to Kyle Saulle, who was unable to control it before Greco intervened. Greco booted a quick punt downfield towards Rafaly and Jake Domenic. The two attackers came close to scoring on the counter attack, but the Monticello defense recovered nicely to clear the ball from danger.
Rafaly converted his second goal with just under 20 minutes to play when he one-timed a shot that redirected off a Monticello defender into the back of the net. It was not the only piece of luck for Fluvanna, which may well have got away with a foul in its own box midway through the first half. A take-down of Saulle in the penalty area prompted merciless jeers from the home crowd, but the referee waved play-on.
After the game, Monticello coach Adam Southall noted that while his team won plenty of 50-50 balls and created several good scoring opportunities, they were ultimately undone by a few lapses in focus.
“I think we played a solid 65 minutes,” Southall said. “There was about a 15 minute span in the second half where we lost our shape.”
After a relatively even first half, Fluvanna out-shot the Mustangs 11-4 in the second, including a 5-2 shots-on-goal advantage. The score might have been more lopsided had it not been for Ortiz’s alert play in goal. The feisty Monticello keeper— who finished with seven saves— was never shy about leaving his line, as he seemed to be sliding to collect loose balls on every play.
Fluvanna coach Patrick Dieter was not surprised by Monticello’s sterling effort, pointing out that his two-time defending district champion team always gets everybody’s best shot.
“They have to be ready for it,” Dieter said. “That’s been the challenge this year is being ready at the beginning of games and focus for 80 minutes. That’s where we’re trying to get to.”
