CHANTILLY − Since she joined the team as a freshman, Abby Wheeler’s scored more than her fair share of goals, and although she had five in the Group AAA/AA semifinal against Langley, none were as big the free position shot she cranked into the top left corner of the net with 10 minutes to play.
“I had missed a few shots earlier so I was pretty upset,” Wheeler said. “Things were pretty frantic on attack and we needed some room to breathe.”
It did more than just that. It wound up providing the difference in the end, as the Warriors were able to hold off the Saxons to earn a shot at a state championship with an 8-7 win.
“It was about a lot of heart and hustle on defense,” said Western coach Nancy Haws. “I think we just happened to be better conditioned than (Langely). Their girls were huffing and puffing and we weren’t.”
As crucial as Wheeler’s goal wound up being, for the second straight game, Christine Fortner managed to steal the show as her play in net, paired with her defense’s effort, kept the Warriors in the game in the first half despite getting worked over in time of possession.
“I came out feeling strong,” Fortner said. “I feed off of the energy. I like to get the defense going and then we feed off of each other.”
The Warriors got off to a great start on the scoreboard as four goals from Wheeler and another from Stewart Summers put Western up by three goals with 10 minutes to play. However, despite the difference in score, the Warriors spent the majority of their time backed in their own defensive zone with the Saxons offense peppering Fortner with shots, albeit it to little avail.
“We were just really lucky,” Wheeler said. “Christine was shutting them down.”
Yet slowly but surely the disparity in possessions and time of possession caught up with Western as Langely dominated draw controls and was able to tie the contest before the break.
The second half was an entirely different story.
“We made a huge change thanks to (assistant coach) Erica Perkins,” Haws said. “Not only on the draws but also with our defensive technique because they had too many guns and you can’t just take out one player.”
The Warriors’ refocused effort on draw controls gave them two of the first three in the second half. Jeannette Fellows, who takes the draw for Western, reaped the rewards of those wins as she tacked on a pair of scores in the in the first seven minutes of the period sandwiched between a goal from Langley’s Torrie Zorella.
“Those draw controls were so huge for us,” Fellows said. “They led to possessions and usually our possessions lead to goals. It was good to feel that we were back in control of the game.”
Defenses took control in the second half, and with a one goal lead in her team’s favor, Wheeler’s free position goal with 10 minutes to play gave Western the confidence to start working on the clock. Yellow cards flew around the field from that point forward as Langlely found itself short handed on a handful occasions for fouls against Anna Krueger, Jordan Haws and Wheeler.
With 46 seconds remaining, Zorella cut the Warriors lead to one goal breaking a scoreless streak of 19 minutes. But there were no late heroics for the Saxons, and Western stormed the field to swarm Fortner after she endured a barrage of late free position shots with relative ease.
“It was very nerveracking,” Fortner said. “It came down to the wire but we were able to pull it out.”
The junior keeper had 10 stops on the night.
The victory not only marks Western Albemarle’s first ever appearance in the state championship game but it is also the first time for any AA school since the tournament began in 2006. But perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the Warriors will be the first team not from Fairfax County’s Public School system to play for the title.
Western will play in the championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Westfield High.
