Albemarle’s field hockey team didn’t exactly come out of nowhere this year. After all, the Patriots did win a Conference 16 title last year.
But winning the Jefferson District regular season title with an unbeaten run through a tough set of foes in the district from Western to Orange to Powhatan to Monticello to Charlottesville? That’s just flat out impressive. Night in and night out the Patriots have been up to the task and Thursday Albemarle wrapped up that run with a 2-0 victory over Monticello.
“It has been a long season and that’s an ongoing battle all year,” said Albemarle coach Brittany McElheny. “I don’t know that it’s something that’d been done in a long time, especially for Albemarle so it’s a tremendous effort by the girls. All 21 had to participate to make that happen, I don’t think we could’ve done it without everyone that’s on the team.”
The Patriots will host Orange County Monday in the Conference 16 semifinals, the squads’ third clash of the season while Monticello faces Riverside in their conference tournament opener the same night.
On Thursday, Monticello played well defensively, holding a potent Albemarle offense scoreless in the first half.
“Our goal was to come out here and make them fight for it,” said Monticello coach Katie Martin. “We definitely succeeded in that, we held them off in the first half and it was great.”
Albemarle woke up in the second half though with Jane Pinnata breaking the deadlock with 23:04 to play, then with just under 19 minutes to play, senior Morgan Stilley extended the lead to 2-0.
It was a solid closing act for the Patriots after what they viewed as a flat start on senior night for 11 seniors.
“We just kept changing the lineup,” McElheny said. “I turned around and said to the sideline who wants it. If you were the first person who said yes and you sounded like you meant it, I sent them in the game. Nights like that, it really is who wants it.”
The Mustangs and Patriots will jump into conference play Monday night.
