They attack, attack and attack again. Nelson County’s boys soccer team turns nearly every possession into a scoring chance. Monday night in the Region B quarterfinals, that aggressive attack fueled a 5-0 victory for the Governors over Randolph Henry.
“We’ve played this way ever since Nelson has been playing soccer—that’s how we make it as far as we do,” said Nelson senior Albert Lachance. “We’re not really as skilled as some teams can be, it’s our heart and how hard we’ll go after the ball.”
Lachance is the engine that makes that high-octane attack roll, doing a lot of the little things that Nelson needs. Against Randolph Henry, the four-year starter who leads Nelson in assists, had a hand in setting up most of the Governors’ goals and scored one of his own late in the second that put Nelson up by five. He also started a terrific corner kick chance in the first half that Logan Harris then tapped over to Londen Wheeler for Nelson’s third score and connected with Matt Brown for another goal.
“(Lachance) does a lot of leg work, a lot of hard work and wins a lot of balls,” said Nelson coach Jeff Harris. “He brings a lot of passion to the field and I think the guys feed off that.”
Juan Garcia and Harris played a big role in the offensive onslaught. Harris, at striker, was often on the receiving end of long lobs and deep passes down the alleys and kept the pressure on Randolph Henry’s defense who always had to account for his whereabouts. He scored once for the Governors, arching in a shot from pointblank range with a creative flourish.
Garcia, who had totaled 14 goals and 10 assists on the season coming into the match, struck first with a goal just minutes into the contest as the Governors’ aggression seemed to catch Randolph Henry off guard.
“Patience is nice, but if it’s there we go for it, we don’t want to hold back,” Harris said. “Sometimes teams have possession without aggression, we like to have a lot of aggression.”
All the while, Nelson’s defense held strong, kickstarting the high powered offense with efficient outlet passes. The Governors have had to shift things around during the season in the back, but they seem to have found a good mix.
“They’re starting to come together and it’s the right time of year for them to come together,” Harris said.
Nelson will take the field again Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at home in the Region B semifinals.
