By Jimmy LaRoue / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Western Albemarle’s dream start to its Group AA/A semifinal against heavily-favored Grafton lasted all of about 90 seconds.
After Olivia Hajek converted a penalty stroke with 24:32 left in the first half to give the Warriors an early lead, Grafton, the Region I runner-up, tied the game at the 23:05 mark and controlled play throughout much of the game.
The Clippers finally broke through for what proved to be the winning goal with 19:17 left in the game and defeated the Warriors 2-1 on a bright, blustery and brisk afternoon at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach. The Warriors have played in nine straight semifinals, losing in all but the one in 2007, when they went on to defeat Grafton for the Group A/AA state title, 2-1 in overtime.
“I think both teams played great,” Fields said. “They had some strong players and we had some good players. I think that it was going to be a battle no matter what. Whoever had more intensity and worked harder was going to win. But I’m really happy with the way we played.”
Western ends its season at 17-6, while Grafton (21-3) gets another shot at Tabb, who won the other semifinal. The Clippers’ only three losses have been to Tabb, which has won the past three state championships.
“I was hoping maybe they were looking past us a little bit,” said Western coach Mia Fields. “I know they were really wanting to play Tabb for the fourth time, but we lost to Tabb last year by one goal (1-0), too, in our state semifinals, so we wanted to play them also.
Fields said the key going into the game was playing as a team, and the Warriors proved their mettle with an early goal.
Western was awarded the penalty stroke just over five minutes into the game after Grafton goalie Andrea Rinehart was called for smothering the ball in the goalmouth. Hajek, a junior, stepped up and beat Rinehart to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
“I felt good about that,” said Western coach Mia Fields. “I was just like, ‘Ah, this is good.’ It gave the girls confidence that we could score, that we could get down there and do things.”
Grafton, however, rebounded just after the restart. Junior forward Caroline Beaudoin put a shot on the cage that Western goalie Maya Langman saved, but Kaylee Maunz pounced on the rebound and scored to tie the game
The Clippers continued to control play, outshooting Western 10-2 in the first half and 22-5 for the game, and had seven corners to Western’s one, but the Warriors held firm defensively.
The breakthrough for Grafton came with 19:17 left in the second half, as the Clippers were awarded a penalty stroke, which midfielder Caroline Chromik converted past a diving Langman.
With a 2-1 lead, Grafton was able to focus on possession and try and burn clock, as Western was able to put just one shot on the cage in the second half, by junior offensive player Becca Moriconi, who scored the game-winner in the Region I final, a 1-0 victory over Fauquier.
“I was extremely proud of everything that they did,” Fields said. “I think they gave me everything they could. They played as a team. And over the course of the season, from August until now, we improved 100 percent. I was very proud of them, and I told them they should be proud of themselves.
With just two seniors graduating, the future is clearly bright for the Warriors.
“I think each year they see that we’re so close in skill to these teams that are here,” Fields said. “They just get more excited, more excited, and work in the offseason. I’m hoping we can get back here and represent in a better way.”
