Charlottesville’s boys soccer team looked pretty strong coming out of the gate to start this season.
The Black Knights are looking pretty solid now too as they turn down the homestretch.
Charlottesville shut out Western Albemarle 2-0 Monday evening to stay unbeaten in Jefferson District play.
“This is really good for us, we have to do the little things if we want to win (against Western),” said Charlottesville coach Stephan Cost. “We can’t just pack it in.”
The Black Knights (12-0, 11-0 Jefferson District) jumped out early, peppering Western’s back line with several shots in just the first five minutes but Charlottesville couldn’t break through. It didn’t take long for them to remedy that issue though as they scored two goals in quick succession around 15 minutes later. Ayat Mohammed struck first on an assist from Evan Blow and quickly after that Alex Pfister slotted in an Abibi Osman feed.
“Any time you get up by two goals on Western then it’s just about managing the game,” Cost said. “We tried to keep from making mistakes and the defense was playing tight.”
That was all the scoring the Black Knights needed as they held Western in check all night en route to the shutout. Charlottesville got several other chances that they couldn’t convert, including a penalty kick in the second half. That was one of the few bright spots for the Warriors as freshman keeper Jack Frey was forced to enter the game after a caution to try to stop the free kick and came up with the save.
Other than that huge play, the same issues that have plagued the Warriors in big games much of the season reared their head again for the defending state champions.
“It felt like the game was over from the opening whistle,” said Western coach Milo Oakland. “While we stopped the bleeding in the second half, we were never able to get momentum or do enough to turn the game around.”
With a young roster that replaced 10 starters, those kind of growing pains are part of the process for the Warriors.
“It has been a season-long story about staying consistent after a successful season, I think we’re still feeling some residue from last season,” Oakland said. “That’s what we’re lacking right now, an ability to match the other team’s aggressiveness and speed and confidence.”
Charlottesville, meanwhile, is a seasoned, tested team trying to make a big push down the stretch, and Monday was just the start of a busy week. The Black Knights face Albemarle Monday in a game that could very well determine the Jefferson District champion and then host Orange County Thursday.
If the Black Knights can maintain possession and stay in attack mode like they did against Western while also keeping their cool as games get physical as they did Monday, Charlottesville is going to be in pretty good shape.
“High school sports is full of competitiveness and we talk about that, the guys know it’s up to them and not engage in that kind of stuff,” Cost said.
Throw in a defense that has surrendered just five goals all year and things are setting up nicely for Charlottesville.
“This is a big win for us,” Cost said. “These guys always fight us, they’re here to compete.”
