Last year it started to become one of Central Virginia’s best field hockey rivalries.
Thursday night it arrived as, undeniably, one of the best.
Charlottesville and Western Albemarle locked up in a battle for an early leg up in Jefferson District play and the Warriors got their first victory of the season with a 2-1 triumph over the Black Knights. Charlottesville took the Warriors, the JD’s traditional powerhouse, to the brink and actually jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes.
“We have our doubts — we didn’t lose a lot of people but there are people playing different positions,” said Western coach Mia Fields. “And (CHS sophomore) Kendall Ballard is a stud. We respect her and (Charlottesville) is really well coached.”
After Tess Lohr equalized the game late in the first half, the squads played pretty evenly with Western taking a slight upper hand on possession after the break. With about eight minutes left, Riley Funk knocked in the gamewinner during a sequence following a short corner attempt, cleaning up a loose ball in front of the cage.
“She’s just getting a little more confidence,” Fields said. “She’s believing in herself a little bit more. She worked hard on conditioning over the summer but her stick skills have improved too so it’s good.”
From there, the Warriors hung on, clinging to the 2-1 lead as Charlottesville tried to power it into the zone and make something happen. The Black Knights created a couple of chances in the closing minutes but couldn’t break through.
“Their players are very skilled, they’re very quick, they can all hit and they all have great shots,” said Charlottesville coach Lindsay Larson. “For us, it’s about energy, trying to (apply) pressure and seeing if we can’t upset them.”
The early lead was a big boost for the Black Knights and it was exactly what they were looking for out of the gate. Ballard got them started with the goal and gave the Black Knights a lot of momentum, which an energetic junior varsity squad kept going with a lot of cheering and noise.
“That’s what we were hoping for,” Larson said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t hang on there.”
The Warriors were 0-3-2 coming into the game, having tied with Grassfield and Nansemond River while losing to Maury, Collegiate and Kellam. Western has made a habit of seeking out tough early season competition in tournaments like the one that pitted them against the four Tidewater area teams, Grassfield, Nansemond River, Maury and Kellam. Picking up a win against the Black Knights was a critical step for the Warriors, as Charlottesville may be their stiffest competition for a district title along with Monticello.
“I think some kids did step up — I think Olivia (Hajek) played pretty well even though they did double her,” Fields said. “The midfield I thought stepped up.”
The Warriors take on St. Anne’s-Belfield Friday at 5 p.m. The Black Knights (5-1) will take on Monticello next Tuesday.
Western and CHS will go toe-to-toe again in just a couple of weeks too. On October 9 the two teams will lock horns out at Western in the rematch.
