Drew Gaffney didn’t make a Joe Namath-like guarantee, but he certainly said a little more than a week ago after Covenant beat North Cross in the VIC tournament that the Eagles’ loss to Western Albemarle was the best thing that could’ve happened to them.
“We aren’t going to lose another game,” Gaffney said at the time.
Saturday he was proven unequivocally correct when Covenant held on to beat Nansemond Suffolk 12-10 in the VISAA Division II championship game at Randolph-Macon. The Eagles closed the year with six-straight wins after falling to the Warriors two Saturdays ago.
“We really buckled down on the little things our coaches have been preaching all season and started taking those things to heart,” Gaffney said. “Obviously it paid off today.”
The victory ended a wire-to-wire run as the No. 1 team in VISAA’s Division II. The Eagles opened the year at No. 1 back in early April and never relinquished the spot. In the home stretch, they beat Blue Ridge for a VIC title and then knocked off Trinity Meadowview and Trinity Christian en route to a berth in the title game.
But that championship didn’t come easy Saturday. The Eagles had to weather a storm early where NSA built a 4-1 lead and then again in the third when a slew of penalties gave the Saints plenty of extra man opportunities. NSA took advantage and clawed back, taking a 9-8 lead late in the third quarter.
That’s when Spencer Godine came up with a game-shifting play.
“Spencer Godine has the most heart of any player I’ve ever played with — he gives his all every play,” Gaffney said. “He changed the game himself by that ground ball.”
That ground ball came on the ensuing faceoff after the go-ahead goal by the Saints. Godine, the Eagles’ do-it-all midfielder won the faceoff with a flick behind him and a quick scoop, which ended the incredible momentum NSA built off the 4-1 run that put them up by a goal. Godine’s faceoff win set up a Clark Gathright strike that knotted the game at 9-9 before the end of the third quarter.
“It comes down to practice and it’s an in-the-moment type thing,” Godine said. “You don’t think about it, you just go for it.”
From there, Covenant gained control with a possession-oriented approach throughout the fourth quarter. Win Marks scored twice and Gaffney once to build a 12-9 lead with 3:44 left. That stretch also required some top notch defense and a couple of fantastic saves as Austin Hall tallied nine saves and helped finish off the Saints.
“(You can’t) worry about the clock or the time or the score or anything,” Hall said. “Just focus on the next shot that’s coming.”
Offensively, Marks finished with three goals and a pair of assists while Gaffney had four goals and two assists. Godine had two first half goals while Clark Cathright had his game-tying goal and an assist. Michael Colberg and Jay Gaffney rounded out the goal scoring with one each and Brandon DeJong notched an assist.
The win helped Covenant avenge last year’s loss in the state title game to Highland, a frustrating defeat that helped drive the Eagles each day. That experience seemed to help Covenant stay on course as NSA put them in the early hole and then took the narrow lead in the third quarter. But Marks pointed to a connection on a much deeper level.
“The family on this team is unreal — we knew we were going to play together and not get down on each other,” Marks said. “Really the family on this team is what pulled us through.”
