Fluvanna defeated Monticello 1-0 Wednesday night to advance to the Jefferson District boys soccer championship and clinch a Region II playoff berth.
After numerous weather delays, the game was called with 21 minutes remaining in the second half, securing the victory for the Flucos in the critical JD semifinal.
Despite multiple chances for each team in the first half, solid defensive efforts kept the game scoreless after 40 minutes of play. Just minutes before the break, Fluvanna junior Dale Ludwig found himself in behind the Monticello defense, but he was unable to convert on the breakaway thanks to a diving stop from Monticello keeper Jack Buckley.
The Fluvanna momentum continued in the second half, as Buckley was forced to come up big from the whistle. Three minutes into the half, however, the Fluvanna offense proved too much to handle as the Flucos intercepted a ball in the Monticello defensive end before Jake Dean secured possession and got the ball to Alex Williams who beat Buckley with a shot to the lower right corner.
The battle only intensified after the goal, with Monticello creating dangerous opportunities to even the score. The Mustangs’ Kevin Gomez received a nicely played ball to get in behind the Fluvanna defense, but his shot missed the target, sailing wide. Later in the half, good ball movement in the offensive end from Will Lambert and Miguel Jr. Pena Fuentes provided another opportunity for Monticello, as Christian Lauri received the ball near the top of the box only to have his strike narrowly miss wide left.
In the end, Mother Nature sided with Fluvanna, as officials called the game due to weather with 21 minutes left to play after enduring a weather delay that reset multiple times.
