Aidan Sinclair came close to finishing off one goal with less than 30 minutes to play for Western Albemarle against Charlottesville in a Jefferson District clash Thursday night.
“I kind of missed a lot of those, I wish I could’ve put that one away because it was really close to goal,” Sinclair said.
He didn’t have to wait long for redemption, as just a couple of minutes later, Sinclair finished off a header on a mad scramble near the goal. He also tacked on another score late to help lift the Warriors to a 2-0 victory over the Black Knights.
“When he’s aggressive he’s as good as anyone in the district,” said Western coach Milo Oakland. “He’s got this sort of unassuming power and finesse that catches people off guard. He’s an unconventional player, he’s got unconventional moves and that’s hard to defend.”
The goals came after both squads played a tremendous first half that went to the half with a 0-0. Charlottesville put together some solid attacks before the break, moving the ball nicely through the midfield while creating chances in a back-and-forth half.
“We had a good first and this is kind of our problem in the season and we’ve got to get over it,” said Charlottesville coach Stephan Cost. “If we keep playing like we did in the first half then we’ll be fine.”
That’s going to take a little more patience from the Black Knights in the second half going forward and more elements like the run where Abibi Osman and company advanced it down field with a series of slick combinations.
“With 10 minutes left, we’re playing like we’ve got 10 seconds,” Cost said. “With Abibi, we must have made four give-and-gos and got around, it’s good stuff. We just need to keep doing that versus kicking the ball.”
During the second half, the Black Knights struggled to create chances and couldn’t finish the couple of opportunities they had. Western, meanwhile, didn’t score on pinpoint crosses or quick passes, but by fighting in the box for tough goals, starting with that first one.
“It was pretty scrappy, I think Carrington (Murphy) kind of got in there and it ricocheted off the keeper and fell to me,” Sinclair said.
The second Sinclair goal came off a Wilson Brown pass, and came after another short battle in the box. Those hard-nosed goals were a good sign for the Warriors as they enter the home stretch — when you’re in tight games in the postseason like Western expects to be this year, that’s often the only way you can score.
“They were blue-collar goals, they were workman’s goals,” Oakland said. “I couldn’t be more pleased that that’s how we scored because we’ve struggled to score those goals. I think we did a good job today of taking what’s in front of you and willing the ball into the goal.”
The win capped a busy week for the Warriors, who also faced tough opponents in Jefferson Forest and Albemarle before the clash with Charlottesville. The first meeting with the Black Knights resulted in a 3-3 tie that the Warriors had to fight for.
“We had three pretty hard games this week so we’re looking to rest up now and make a big push for the postseason,” Sinclair said.
The Warriors have three games left in the regular season. They’ll face Louisa County, Orange County and Monticello to close out the year. Charlottesville has four games left on the schedule starting with Orange County Monday night.
