Momentum matters, and when a squad as talented as Western Albemarle breaks through and beats a state title contender like Jefferson Forest, the Warriors are going to pick up some serious momentum.
That’s exactly what Fluvanna County ran into Thursday night as Western rolled 6-0 over their Jefferson District rival. The Warriors beat Jefferson Forest Tuesday 4-1 and kept the good energy flowing against the Flucos.
“That was a huge win for us—they’re a state competitor,” said senior Marina Clark. “Being able to dominate that game was a big confidence boost for us.”
Clark had two of the Warriors’ six goals while freshman Anna Sumpter notched a hat trick on the night. Western’s combination play on offense gave the Fluvanna defense fits as Western moved to 5-0 in Jefferson District play.
“Scoring a goal early normally helps,” said Western coach Jake Desch. “To be able to put them down early gave us confidence to possess the ball and establish our style.”
The Warriors overcame a strong performance by Flucos keeper Morgan Symmers, last year’s Scrimmage Play newcomer of the year, who had nearly 20 saves in the net for Fluvanna. The Flucos couldn’t find the equalizer though, as keeper Emily Marbury and the Western defense stood tall with Marbury coming up with five stops of her own.
Western faces off against Charlottesville Monday night to start the second half of Jefferson District play while Fluvanna County hosts Louisa the same night.
