Fluvanna County was down a goal, hampered by a bench depleted by injuries and sickness and Western Albemarle had controlled much of the play of the game. The Flucos needed something, anything to break right.
They finally created an opportunity with three minutes left.
“Lizzy Daidone had a great throw ball back to me and I just crossed it,” said Fluvanna senior Tyler Drake. “And Jackie was there on the far post.”
Drake’s cross and Cook’s goal left the game tied at 1-1 and after a couple of more minutes of regulation and two short overtimes, that’s how it ended.
Fluvanna was riddled by injuries and a wave of sickness that left them with few reserves, and it was actually goalie Emily Brown’s first game back in the lineup after she collided with a Monticello forward in that matchup a week ago. That left the Flucos with few alternative options off the bench during the match, and that forced them into a more defensive-oriented approach.
“I looked back at the bench and I’m thinking ‘uh-oh,’ what are we going to do but the girls did really well,” said Fluvanna coach Tara Garcia. “When you play teams that are as good as Western you have to change the way you play, and they adjusted really well.”
Four freshmen see significant playing time for Western Albemarle, but the Warriors didn’t look inexperienced against the Flucos, just a little unlucky. The Warriors had several scoring opportunities that just missed during the first half including a play where a forward chipped the ball just over the crossbar.
But Western didn’t waver, continuing to attack and push the ball the entire game despite Fluvanna’s physical approach to the contest. Everliegh Stokes, a senior, eventually broke through, knocking home a one-touch goal in the second half off a Katie Farina pass.
“We played well enough to win the game and I guess it just wasn’t meant to be,” said Western coach Lesley Gourdet. “I’m very proud of my girls that they didn’t get intimidated by that physical play. They kept their composure.”
Western held fast to the one-goal lead behind Lexy Eckerle’s play in goal, including a solid stop on a long Fluvanna run with 10:20 to play. The senior keeper traded clutch saves back and forth with Brown, her Fluvanna counterpart, until Drake’s near perfect cross ended Western’s shutout bid. Western actually got a solid chance in the minutes after Cook’s goal, with Farina taking a pair of corners back-to-back but the Warriors couldn’t connect on the set pieces.
Brown had a solid stop during the overtime but both teams struggled to create quality offensive opportunities after the end of regulation.
Fluvanna, who beat Louisa County 8-0 Thursday night, takes a week long break, before returning to action April 12 on the road against William Monroe. Western, who beat Goochland 5-0 Thursday, locks up with Charlottesville in a critical JD battle when the Warriors return from break, also April 12.
