Western Albemarle girls soccer’s Abby Zimmerman knows it isn’t always going to be textbook.
“It’s not going to be necessarily a pretty goal that wins games like this,” Zimmerman said. “It’s definitely going to be a hustle play, someone who steps first or wins a tackle that wins these games.”
It was one of those goals that got it done Wednesday night against Lord Botetourt in a 2-0 victory in the Region 3A West semifinals that clinched a state final four bid for the Warriors and a shot at a region title Thursday night.
After a strong run by Savannah Wilson set up the chance 15 minutes into the second half, Zimmerman finished it off.
“We knew Savannah was strong out wide and that’s how we’ve been finding most of our goals,” Zimmerman said. “She just drove it in and we had people in the box to finish it.”
Wilson herself then tacked on a second goal after Elizabeth Fabiano drew a penalty kick on a decisive run with around 20 minutes to play in the game. That allowed the Warriors to assume complete control of the game and finish off the victory.
“After we got the first goal we had momentum and Elizabeth drove down and got the PK,” Wilson said. “I think solidifying it 2-0 gave us the confidence, we just really relaxed and just kept the ball.”
The Warriors seem to have figured out how to solve squads that want to try and pack it in against them defensively, which comes as little surprise with the array of weapons Western has both at forward and more uniquely coming out of the midfield.
Whether it’s Jane Romness (eight goals, five assists on the year), Zimmerman (22 goals, 6 assists), Wilson (six goals, nine assists), Caitlin Harvey (13 goals, five assists), Julia Berg (14 goals, 4 assists) or Fabiano (12 goals, four assists), Western has the balance attack from all over the field. But it’s the Warriors patience and methodical, probing nature on the offensive end that allows them to close the door on the opposition when they attempt to sit back.
“It’s kind of frustrating but once we possess it and switch the ball back and forth we can kind of break them down,” Wilson said. “We’re a pretty athletic team so once they get tired we can find the splits between their backs and eventually just break them down.”
Those midfielders also did an excellent job Wednesday as the first line of defense, preventing the Cavaliers from reaching shutdown defenders like Berg, Shannon Moore and Nichole Heon very often, and when Botetourt did manage to sneak in the defense was up to the task, coming up with the shutout.
Now the Warriors get a shot at Western’s first region title as a program. Even during a state title run in 2002, Western has never managed to win a region championship. The Warriors get another shot at the region title Thursday against the school’s soccer nemesis, Blacksburg.
“We’re hyped just to get there and hopefully we can bring one home,” Wilson said.
They’ll get that chance Thursday when they play the Bruins at 6 p.m. at home.
