It was, undoubtedly, a perfectly placed strike, and it ended Western Albemarle’s season.
Dominion’s Kyra Selner took a quick tap from assist machine Maria Pinkston and unleashed a shot from the left flank with 3:33 to play in the first sudden death overtime. The shot crossed back toward the right goal post for a goal and a 2-1 victory for the Titans in the Region II quarterfinals Tuesday night.
“The ball just came out and I just finished it,” Selner said. “(Pinkston) makes the plays and we finish them.”
That simple approach and the ensuing win extended the Titans’ deepest march into the postseason in school history and ended one of the finest runs by a Western squad in some time. The Warriors won the Jefferson District regular season title by topping perennial power Charlottesville twice in the regular season and once in a one-game playoff.
“Winning the championship was a major step for us and being able to compete with Dominion and Blacksburg was a major stepping stone for us and hopefully a good sign for the future,” said Western coach Jacob Desch.
The Warriors drew first blood against Dominion in the first two minutes of the game when Marina Clark bashed in a rebound goal that the Titans’ keeper dove to tip back into play after it squirted out of her hands. The Warriors couldn’t hold onto the lead though as Dominion evened the game after the break when Pinkston, who’s headed to Virginia Commonwealth to play for the Rams, struck a corner kick that Belle Brewer finished off from the back side.
“She’s actually the district leading and Washington-region leader in assists,” said Dominion coach Howard Leek. “She’s an outstanding distributor of the ball.”
The Warriors managed to survive Dominion down the stretch and force overtime despite the Titans largely controlling possession in the second half. Western managed a couple of good chances in the second half, but couldn’t come up with a finisher.
“They’re an excellent team and they took advantage of their opportunities and they deserved to win,” Desch said.
Once the game went to overtime, it opened up a little as both teams ran the field freely. Still, Western couldn’t come up with a gamewinner before Selner’s rocket gave Dominon the victory.
The Warriors season ends while Dominion moves on to the Region II semifinals.
