Broad Run Girls' Soccer Reaches Final

By Paul Tenorio

Saturday, June 6, 2009

RADFORD, Va. — Throughout the first half of Saturday's Virginia AA state semifinal against Courtland, No. 2 Broad Run had been unable to find the back of the net and entered the final 40 minutes determined to be more effective with its opportunities.

And at the tail end of two attacks that initially looked as though they might be more missed chances, sophomore midfielder Whitney Church put herself in the right place at the right time and scored each time to lead the Spartans to a 2-0 win over the Cougars (18-1-2) at Radford High School in a rematch of last year's Virginia AA championship.

The win extended Broad Run's state-record unbeaten streak to 47 games over the past two seasons.

"In the first half I was getting a little nervous," said Church, an under-17 U.S. women's national pool player. "I wasn't playing probably to the best of my ability. But in the second half I realized that I needed to come out and I needed to win for my team. And if I tried really hard I could do it, and we did."

After a scoreless first half, the Spartans (22-0-1) took just four and a half minutes to find the back of the net in the second half.

All-Met Player of the Year Holly King skied a pass toward forward Valerie Powell, and a Courtland defender's header sent the ball towards the Cougars' goalkeeper. Powell gave chase and got to the ball just before the keeper, who tried to reach over the feisty forward but couldn't get a grasp on the ball as the two collided.

The referee allowed play to continue, and after a defender blocked the initial shot on the empty net, Church lined up the rebound from the top of the 18-yard box and placed a low shot to the far post as the Courtland goalkeeper scrambled back to the goal, unable to reverse directions to stop the offering.

"You just needed to be there for the second balls because anything can happen in this sport - it's what I hate about it," Church said. "So, just needed to hang around there and you're going to get the rebound."

Church again got on the end of a loose ball with seven minutes left in the contest.

Senior Kelly Evans was freed one-on-one with the goalkeeper inside the box, and crossed after her angle was cut down when she got around the keeper. The ball was bounced around the box before Church blasted a shot into the net to secure the victory for Broad Run.

"Whitney, she's a fantastic individual, a fantastic soccer player," Broad Run Coach Claire Collins said. "Kind of deceiving, you don't see her and then when you see her play on the field she does unbelievable things where as a coach you say, 'How did she just do that?' She just reads the game so well."

Though they controlled much of the game, Broad Run nearly fell behind eight minutes in.

A Courtland cross to the far post drew Spartans goalkeeper Caitlin Hunter out of her net and found sophomore forward Heather Schnake on the right side of the box.

Schnake played a ball back across the net as Hunter backtracked into the goal, and the senior netminder got into position just in time to make a kick save on a shot from Heather Hudson six yards out from goal.

"Keeper made a beautiful save," Courtland Coach Dennis Berry said. "Had we gotten that one, who knows it might have been a little bit different."

Notes: Courtland’s graduation was held at the same time as the semifinal, so the six Cougars seniors wore graduation caps during player introductions and were presented their diplomas prior to the contest. ... The Spartans will face Hidden Valley, which defeated Salem 2-1 in the other semifinal, at 2 p.m. today at Radford University.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks