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Stay the Course: Charlottesville earns a state tournament berth with win over Spotswood

Charlottesville boys soccer didn’t need an overhaul at the half. They just needed to keep executing the way they were, no matter what the scoreboard said. 

 

“We didn’t change much at all (after halftime),” said Charlottesville coach Martin Braun. “We told the guys to just keep doing what you’re doing.”

 

The Black Knights stuck to the gameplan and prevailed, defeating Spotswood 4-0 in the semifinal round of the Region 3C Tournament. 

 

When the match started, both squads knew the implications of a victory on the field — the winner moved on to the regional championship game and earned a state tournament playoff berth, and both teams came out with that energy and intensity to match the stakes

 

In the first half, it was clear that Charlottesville was the more skilled team with the way that they made smart and quick passes, and dominated time of possession. However, when it seemed Charlottesville had some decent looks at goal, Spotswood came up big defensively. Due to this, the half ended scoreless with both teams locked at zero.

 

To start the second half, nothing changed for the Black Knights schematically. However, after a beautiful cross and assist from Nasir Lindsay, Senior Lucas Simpson scored to put Charlottesville up 1-0 not two minutes into the first half. 

 

“We were obviously the better team in the first half, with some decent chances,” Braun said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing, chances will come, and that’s what happened, and we put them away.”

 

About 10 minutes into the second half, Spotswood was called for a handball in the box, which set up a penalty kick and eventual goal for Graham Lenert. With the way the Trailblazers were struggling on offense to figure out the Black Knights’ stout defense, the PK felt like the dagger for Charlottesville.

 

Spotswood’s defenders seemed gassed, and with that came even more goals for the Black Knights, as Lucas Miller and Lucas Fuller finished off goals. Charlottesville finished the game with four goals, all coming in the second half. As they’ve been doing most of the season, the Black Knights out executed their opponent in the second half, which led to the win. 

 

With the win, Charlottesville now gets another showdown with fellow Jefferson District squad Monticello in the Region 3C Championship game Thursday night at 7 p.m. Although Charlottesville completed a season sweep of the Mustangs during the regular season, Lucas Simpson is excited for their faceoff in terms of matchups. 

 

“It’s going to be a lot like the Fluvanna game,” said Simpson. “Last time (Monticello
), they played five in the back, they kind of just packed the back, and it was hard for us to get through it. We’ve been kind of preparing for that kind of thing. We’re the one seed. Everyone is going to be looking to defend against us before attacking, so I think we’re going to be ready.”

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