Western Albemarle’s boys soccer team got tripped up a year ago in the region tournament at home, falling to Northside 2-0 in an upset for the Vikings.
The Warriors made sure history didn’t repeat itself in the Region 3C semifinals Tuesday night, beating Liberty-Bedford 7-0 to secure a state tournament berth they missed out on a year ago.
“The goal we set for ourselves every preseason is to get to the state tournament,” said Western coach Milo Oakland. “While we know there is still a ton of work left to be done in the region, there is no doubt that we are thrilled to make an appearance at states. “
The Warriors got going with a pair of early goals by Luke Magargee, showing some scrappiness and initiative around the net as Western peppered Liberty’s keeper right out of the gate and created several big-time chances. Magargee’s back-to-back tallies confirmed the early run of play that favored the Warriors.
Gabe Nafziger had a huge night with two goals and two assists. Alex Moreno chipped in a goal while Noah Adderly had a goal and an assist and Joey Paulson came up with an assist.
“You can’t take these opportunities for granted,” Oakland said. “We’ll try our hardest to make it a great memory.”
The Warriors will face Spotswood Thursday at Fluvanna County in the Region 3C championship before heading to the state tournament.