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From the opening draw

Western Albemarle took the opening draw, sped downfield and within 30 seconds, had a one-goal lead when Peyton Brandt scored.

“I feel like that first draw control was really crucial,” said Western’s Jeanette Fellows. “After that it just kind of clicked.”

The Warriors never looked back after Brandt’s goal, rolling 18-4 over Albemarle Thursday night, with big offensive nights from a quartet of Western players leading the way.

Abby Wheeler poured in five goals and dished out a pair of assists while Fellows had four goals and two assists. Kellen Haley also had five goals and Jordan Haws score two goals and had a pair of assists. It’s tough to tell who’ll lead the way offensively each night for the talented Warriors, who clearly have a breadth of options.

“It really depends on what the other team is doing, but all our plays are working really well,” Fellows said. “But mostly we’re really working on our draws and dumps and working the ball around.”

That offensive firepower led to an 11-2 lead before the break as Albemarle struggled to contain the Warriors. It didn’t hurt that Western dominated on the draw, winning 13 as a team as Ellen Shaffrey, who also had a goal and an assist, led the way with five controls. Fellows also had four draw controls on the night.

Western’s defense also stood tall as Christine Fortner came up with 10 saves in goal on the night and snagged a pair of interceptions.

Albemarle struggled to score and defend the red-hot Warriors, but goalie Nikki Ross stood tall despite a barrage of 29 shots from Western’s offense. Ross is Albemarle’s third option in goal. She was pressed into action after injuries to both the varsity and junior varsity starters, forcing the Patriots’ coaching staff to pull Ross, a JV midfielder with previous experience as a part-time junior varsity goalie as a freshman, off the field and put her in the cage.

“We’ve had a tough season with injuries and starters that are out,” said Albemarle coach Laurie Pratt. “(Ross) has just been phenomenal.”

Ross came up with 10 saves in her fourth game in the cage, following a strong 13-save outing against Trinity Episcopal.

Albemarle got some offense from Abby Hendrix and Rachel Hochstetler with a pair of goals each.

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