By Nick Eilerson / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Talent washed over every inch of Albemarle High School’s turf field Wednesday night, as both Albemarle and Colonial Forge boasted heady girls who could hold their own against just about anybody on the pitch. In the end, though, Albemarle’s steady experience proved to be the critical difference between the two sides, as the Patriots vanquished the youthful Eagles 2-0. It was a landmark result for Albemarle, which had never before tasted victory against Colonial Forge in Commonwealth District play.
“Beating them tells our kids that we are where we should be, that we are able to compete against anybody at any time,” Albemarle coach Jon Hall said. “It’s a good feeling because in this district anybody can beat anybody. It’s a very tough district. You don’t have any gimme games.”
Colonial Forge — a team with just three seniors and 13 underclassmen — struggled in the face of Albemarle’s sturdy attack, as the ball remained on Colonial Forge’s half of the field early on. With the score knotted at zero in the 11th minute, sophomore midfielder Lizzy Marks raced down the right flank and sent a cross into the heart of the box. The ball took a big hop and was met by sophomore midfielder Lauren Truwit, whose diving header rolled into the corner of the goal to give the Patriots a lead they never relinquished.
Albemarle continued to control the pace of the opening half with a methodical attacking style that favored the build-up over the quick strike. A strong header off a corner kick by senior defender Joy Piirto in the 23rd minute appeared to extend the Patriots’ lead to two, but Forge goalkeeper Maison Haase reached up just in the time to punch the ball away from danger. Albemarle was not done, however, as a defensive breakdown with four minutes left in the half gave the Patriots a 2-0 halftime lead. Sophomore forward Maggie Tubridy stripped the ball from a Colonial defender near the end-line and slipped a pass to freshman forward Ali Starr, who evaded a defender and blasted an unstoppable shot past Haase.
“The first half was horrible,” first-year Colonial Forge coach Bronson Gambale said. “Just not making good touches, being a little timid. But in the second half we moved the ball a little better, which was good for us.”
With their backs against the wall, the Eagles came out fired up at the start of the second half and began to take control of the game with some efficient passing and viable goal-scoring chances of their own. Stirred by the unwavering vocal leadership of feisty freshman sweeper Niomi Serrano, the Eagles managed to both lock down on the Patriots’ attack and press numbers forward into the final third. Forge midfielder Alex Gogolin nearly put her side on the board when her left footed poke clanged off the post in the 56th minute. Gambale eventually tried to force the issue by moving Serrano—a natural striker— up top, which helped Colonial gain a 5-3 edge in the shots-on-goal category in the second half, compared to a 4-1 Albemarle advantage in the first half. But nothing could get by a physical Albemarle defense anchored by senior keeper Betsy Haugh.
“I think I have the best goalkeeper in Central Virginia,” Hall said. “It starts with her. Betsy is a phenomenal player. She’s been a four-year varsity player, and she’s just a tremendous individual. The girls look up to her and learn from her.”
The Patriots withstood Colonial Forge’s desperate runs at goal in the final seconds to secure the shutout and solidify their status as a legitimate contender in this year’s district race.
“We kept our composure,” Truwit said. “[Forge] talked a lot and were pressing a lot, and we kept calm and didn’t talk back. I felt like we played pretty well as a team. We had some mishaps in the back with clearing it but we worked it out.”
Albemarle meets Riverbend Friday in a 7 p.m. home contest, while Colonial Forge will return home Friday for a clash with Stafford at 5:30 p.m.
