By Nick Eilerson/ Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
When Pa LaMin Fofana moved from Gambia to the United States last July, North Stafford soccer coach Iric Bressler rejoiced. His varsity team already boasted a slew of solid players, but with the speedy Fofana in the fold, the Wolverines could begin to set their sights on a potential state tournament berth this season. Fofana, who played for the Gambian U-15 national team, proved his worth against Albemarle Tuesday night, notching the go-ahead goal to lift his team to a 2-0 victory and hand the Patriots their first loss of the season in the process.
“He’s the most skilled player I’ve ever had, and I’ve been coaching for 28 years,” Bressler said of his star freshman forward. “He’s a diamond in the rough.”
Fofana broke the ice 15 minutes into the first half thanks to an ill-timed Albemarle pass near the right sideline. The diminutive forward intercepted the pass, juked past a defender and fired a low shot off the far post and into the net to put the Wolverines ahead. Both sides displayed quality soccer in the half’s waning minutes, but quality scoring opportunities were few and far between.
Albemarle coach Scott Jackson made some adjustments at the break to turn up his team’s attack, including moving senior midfielder Michael Lombardo up to forward. The Patriots continued to struggle against a rock-solid North Stafford defense, but they did manage a few legitimate scoring chances. The first came with about 10 minutes gone, when junior forward Asa Vegodsky headed the ball down into the middle of the box. Senior midfielder Zakary Draego ran onto the ball and rocketed a shot about a foot over the crossbar.
With seven minutes left on the clock, the home crowd held its breath once again as Albemarle midfielder Shane Rose lofted a shot from about 30 yards out that beat All-State Stafford goalkeeper Ryan Husted before clanking off the crossbar. The junior captain nearly atoned on the ensuing corner, this time heading the ball off the bar and over the goal.
While Albemarle found a few nice opportunities, they had a difficult time containing a North Stafford side that did well to maintain possession and make dangerous runs on the outside. The Wolverines only managed three shots on goal in the second half, but they consistently put pressure on the Albemarle defense thanks in large part to dangerous speedsters like senior midfielder Kyler Sullivan and sophomore midfielder Sheldon Sullivan.
“The scouting report we got from them was that their backs were susceptible to speed, so that’s where we attacked,” Bressler said. “And when we attack the flanks, we’re as good as anybody in the state of Virginia.”
With Albemarle desperately pushing forward in the final minutes, North Stafford was able to find an opening in the Patriots’ defense to put the game away. Wolverine midfielder Grant Eliopoulos picked off a miss-hit pass in front of the Albemarle goal and slipped the ball past freshman keeper Matt Natale to put North Stafford up 2-0 with two minutes left in regulation.
“They’ve got some really talented players, and they make you pay for your mistakes,” Jackson said. “That’s kind of what happened. We made a couple mistakes and we paid for it.”
The loss dropped Albemarle’s record to 3-1 and improved North Stafford to 1-1 on the young season. The Wolverines suffered their first loss Monday night against River Bend, blowing a 2-0 lead with 11 minutes remaining to lose 3-2. Bressler and company needed Fofana to make a big play to help provide them a redemption win against the Patriots, and they got just that.
Albemarle will try and bounce back Thursday at home at 7 p.m. against Stafford High.
