By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
Soccer, like ice hockey and lacrosse and even water polo is a game where the goal is to beat the goaltender and score goals. Often shots must find the corners of the net. In the Flucos’ game against Monticello High on May 20, Fluvanna had a number of good chances, but their shots were just high or just wide. Monticello, on the other hand had several shots from long range that found the perfect spot and could not have been stopped by the Fluco goal tender.
This game started slowly and neither team was able get good scoring opportunities. The Flucos were getting off more shots but generally low percentage shots from long range. Seniors Kelsea Herring and Kaitlyn Bower had strong long shots to no avail, as did junior Riley Yowell and freshman Abbie Ford.
With 27 minutes left in the first half, Fluco sophomore goalie Shelby Crawford made a nice stop on a Mustang scoring opportunity. Fifteen seconds later Herring had a strong shot on goal stopped by the Monticello goalie. With 18 minutes left, Herring made a nice steal in front of the goal and dribbled cleverly to set up a shot that was just deflected by the Mustang’s’ goalie. As the first half wound down, senior Hannah Feith fired off a couple of strong shots, but the Flucos just could not find the net.
With five minutes left the Mustangs broke into the scoring column with a break-away and a shot into the lower right corner that Crawford had no chance of stopping. The half ended with Monticello in the lead 1-0.
Only five minutes into the second half, the Mustangs doubled their lead with a perfectly placed long high shot. The Flucos nearly bounced back` immediately, but a header from in close just went high.
Herring, who threatened the Mustangs all night long, had a strong run and fired off a shot that was just wide at about the half-way point of the second half. Only a few seconds later, she hit a strong right footed shot that beat the goalie high for what would be the Flucos’ only goal. Unfortunately for the Flucos, the Mustangs responded instantly and added a third goal on a breakaway, less than a minute after Herring’s goal. This deflating goal pretty much sealed the game. With less than five minutes left, the Mustangs added a fourth goal for the final score of 4-1.
After the game, Coach Kat Ditta commended junior midfielder Cristina Valladares for her energetic play in the center and also noted that senior Jada Morton contributed a lot of energy off the bench. She said of Morton, who played with great aggressiveness, that “she can run forever.” This loss drops the Flucos to a record of 2-3.
The girls’ soccer team plays at Charlottesville high on May 27 and at Western Albemarle on May 31. The two final games on the regular season schedule are at home, on June 3 against Orange County, and on June 10 against Louisa County.
