Princess Anne’s girls soccer season ended in dramatic fashion Friday in the 5A state semifinals in Burke, falling 1-0 in golden-goal overtime play to 5A North champion Tuscarora.
The match came down to the final two minutes of a third overtime, when the Huskies scored the game-winner.
The goal, scored by Tuscarora’s 6-foot-2 star forward Dacheka Kolcum, came via an intercepted pass in the Cavaliers’ attacking third. Kolcum received the ball and broke through the defense for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Destiny Kinka.
“We did quite well against her,” Princess Anne coach Ken Fabian said of Kolcum. “She was definitely frustrated, but what she ended up doing she’s been doing all year.
Kolcum was defended by the duo of junior Heather Bowden and sophomore Kylie Hampton.
“She was definitely very aggressive, I mean everyone was playing to win, but I think we were well matched,” Bowden said.
Both teams had several chances to score during their first 90 minutes of play but converted none of them. The Cavaliers’ defense put forth one of its best efforts of the season, with sophomore goalkeeper Destiny Kinka saving nine shots-on-goal.
“Our defense probably played our best game,” Fabian said. “We couldn’t finish on the chances we had.”
Tuscarora outshot Princess Anne 10-7 in shots-on-frame, with Huskies keeper Courtney Kaplan defending all seven attempts. The Cavaliers had fewer opportunities from the corner; the Huskies had eight corner kicks to Princess Anne’s four.
The close semifinal loss capped a successful run for Princess Anne, the 5A South runner-up. The Cavaliers turned their season around after a six-game winless streak in April to make it out of conference and regional play.
“With our backs to the wall, and as each game went on, we definitely got better, but today was just one of those things,” Fabian said. “Every time when it counted we found a way to win and that’s how we got to where we were.”
NOTE: This game story was written based off interviews with Princess Anne coach Ken Fabian and three Cavaliers players.
