With the Region I boys’ soccer title on the line, the Lafayette Rams rebuffed an early penalty kick, scored on a disputed goal and preserved their unbeaten record en route to a 1-0 win over Culpeper at Wanner Stadium on Friday night.
The win sets up a state quarterfinal Tuesday night against Northern Virginia powerhouse Tuscarora, which unexpectedly lost its regional final Friday night against Briar Woods, 2-1.
Lafayette dominated possession for most of the Culpeper match in a game that played out as a defensive struggle, with both teams appearing to play flat in the wake of tough wins in the semifinal round—for the Rams, a seminal win over arch rival Jamestown in penalty kicks.
Rams goalkeeper Alex Emerson picked up right where he left off the night before. The first team all-Bay Rivers District senior stopped Jamestown’s final penalty kick Thursday night to seal the Rams’ win while breaking the Eagles’ streak of six consecutive Region I titles.
A mere seven minutes into the Culpeper game, he a stared down a penalty kick from Blue Devils sophomore Mack Elliott and made a diving save. The senior keeper has allowed just six goals all season, and the 80 minutes of shut-out ball capped off a scoreless month of May for Lafayette, which has run to an 18-0-1 record.
Lafayette took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute when freshman star Reeves Trott served a free kick into the Blue Devils’ box that found its way to a wide open Andrew Vaccaro on the back post. The junior defender, the ball and Culpeper keeper Josh Smith met simultaneously at the goal line, and the referee awarded Lafayette the goal—a call that Culpeper coach Shaun Summerscales found hard to believe.
“My keeper had the ball in his hand,” Summerscales said. “If the ball’s in front of my keeper, it’s my opinion that there’s no way my keeper is standing deep enough in the goal that the ball actually crossed the line. I’d love to see a replay.”
The Rams put together several more scoring chances that were unable to find the back of the net. But thanks to the Rams’ rock-steady back line, the disputed goal was all they needed for the win as the Blue Devils managed only one more shot on goal the entire night.
Rams coach Brian Sorrell credited senior Emery Trott and sophmore Denzel Speed for especially solid outings.
“They read things well,” Sorrell said. “I rely on our back four to really control the game, and that’s what they’re there to do. Denzel, he set the tone in the first half, and Emery played well the entire game and then the other guys just kind of fed off that energy and started picking it up back there and not letting them get chances.”
The Rams should face a far more dangerous foe Tuesday night in Tuscarora, who is coming off a trip to the state championship last year and has amassed a 20-1-2 record behind scoring machine Angel Ceron-Garcia. The Washington Post ranks the Huskies third among all schools in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Although Lafayette has never played Tuscarora, the opponent won’t be entirely unfamiliar: the teams’ head coaches are childhood friends and played alongside each other at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas.
“We go way back,” Sorrell said with a smile. “So I’ll find out something this weekend.”
Region I Girls Soccer Championship
Courtland 2 Jamestown 1
Jamestown erased a 1-0 halftime deficit to tie the game in the second half on a goal by Bailey Cristian, but Courtland’s Sydney Wallace scored on a 20-yard free kick with 10 minutes left in regulation to give the Cougars a 2-1 victory.
Jamestown coach Michelle Dawson said the Eagles failed to convert on numerous scoring chances as they forced Courtland’s keeper to make 13 stops in goal. Hannah Sams finished with six saves while Aaliyah Lyttle assisted on Cristian’s goal.
The Eagles (17-1-2) will travel to play Region II champion Briar Woods in next Tuesday’s Group AA state semifinals.
