Western Albemarle girls soccer had the run of possession. But breaking through against a bunkered in Charlottesville defense proved to be no easy task Monday night.
“It takes us a little while to get settled when there’s five people in the back but I think (it’s about) staying confident and finding quick passes,” said Western’s Savannah Wilson.
The Warriors eventually found those quick passes and rolled to a 4-0 win over the Black Knights. Wilson scored one of those four while Cordelia O’Connell, Abby Zimmerman and Molly Gobble provided the other three goals. Zimmerman scored late when a ball that started as an arching cross from Wilson ricocheted off her foot while Gobble blasted one into the top corner. The Warriors speed eventually allowed them to slip past the Black Knights’ defense.
“We’re really fast so when we play quick it’s easy to get in behind,” Wilson said.
Charlottesville’s defense made life tough on the Warriors, putting together a similar performance to the one they orchestrated last week against Albemarle where they held the Patriots in check early. But the Black Knights struggled to create many chances on the other end, opening the door for Western to break through.
Western faces Fluvanna County at home Wednesday and then faces an extremely challenging stretch from April 25 to May 8.
“The next couple of weeks are going to be really challenging with Albemarle, Jefferson Forest and Deep Run,” Wilson said. “Our practices have been really competitive recently and really intense, I think that’s really helping us on the field.”
The Black Knights will look to bounce back at home against Louisa County Thursday.