Albemarle girls soccer can beat a team in so many ways in the attacking half, but one way that’s become a tried and true option for the Patriots the last two years is Madeline St. Amand setting the table for Devon Higginbottom.
Thursday night that combination connected twice and helped spark the Patriots to a 3-0 victory over Brooke Point in the Region 5D quarterfinals, putting Albemarle just one win away from a state tournament bid.
The first of Higginbottom’s two goals off St. Amand assists came midway through the first half when St. Amand drove hard down the left side and without looking, crossed the ball to Higginbottom who took one touch and then fired a left-footed shot toward the right post and scored.
“(St. Amand is) really fast and she’s able to create a lot of chances for us down the line and find us,” Higginbottom said. “She’s really good at setting up players and finding their feet.”
The second connection came early in the second half and was pretty similar, with St. Amand attacking again down the left and then finding Higginbottom who this time went near post to beat the Brooke Point keeper.
“She reads the game really well and knows when to push and when she should hold back,” said Albemarle coach Amy Sherrill. “We’re thankful that she reads the game (well enough) to get on the end of any ball her teammates are serving up to her.”
St. Amand scored one of her own shortly thereafter and gave the Patriots all the cushion they needed as Sydney Alexander posted a shutout in net, making several key stops including one with 15:04 left to play in the first half.
Getting an early strong start from Higginbottom’s first half goal was critical to the Patriots picking up the win.
“That’s a really good team that we faced,” Sherrill said. “For us to be able to get on the board, withstand the pressure of their high powered offense early on was really good for us. We wanted to pressure them and keep peppering them with opportunities and we were successful with that.”
The Patriots will play Tuesday in the Region 5D semifinals with a state tournament berth on the line.
