NOKESVILLE — Decimated by injuries and ejections, the Western soccer boys team held Brentsville District scoreless in regulation and through four overtimes before finally winning 3-1 in a penalty shootout.
“This game was a huge gut check for us,” said Western coach Paul Rittenhouse. “We were down to our last two subs and we just had to gut it out.”
The Warriors were forced to make due without star midfielder Aaron Myers, who was still nursing an injury from Saturday’s Jefferson District tournament championship, and fellow Jefferson District first teamer Alex Nolet, who has struggled with an ankle injury and hobbled off the field early in the second half. They also lost two other starters, Pat Wayand and Wes Verrell, when the defensemen each received a second yellow card for rough play.
Still, the Warriors’ defense managed to tally its 12th shutout in regulation play this season. Brentsville outshot the Warriors 20 to 11, and forced keeper Kai Shin to make 11 saves; the Tigers’ Hunter Mihalick was only called on to make three stops.
“We had our chances, some good opportunities,” said Brentsville coach Nathan Nemerow. “Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way.”
In the shootout, Nemerow replaced Mihalick with Cameron Findlay, who had played in the field all evening. This was a calculated move, Nemerow said, noting that Findlay is an excellent keeper in the penalty kick scenario.
In the shootout, Myers came off the bench and scored on his first and only touch of the match. But Brentsville’s David Heller quickly knotted the score to make it 1-1. After a Western miss and a save by Shin, Western took the lead for good when Tom Rogers slotted his shot home. Following another
Tiger miss, Avery Walker scored to seal the victory. With the win, the Warriors (14-2-4) advance to the Region II semifinals Wednesday on the road against Broad Run (15-2) at 7 p.m.
