Broad Run Girls' Soccer Repeats as Champs

By Paul Tenorio

Sunday, June 7, 2009

RADFORD, Va. — It felt like the perfect ending for No. 2 Broad Run, concluding a second consecutive unbeaten season with a convincing 3-0 win over Hidden Valley on Sunday afternoon in the Virginia AA state championship.

The Spartans and senior goalkeeper Caitlin Hunter had shut out their opponent for the 20th time this season - a state record.

They did so with the thoroughly dominating possession game that has made them one of the area's top teams, and by allowing just one shot on goal.

And for a team whose foundation was built around the eight seniors playing their final game in Broad Run uniforms, that the first two goals came from a freshman and a sophomore was the perfect passing of the torch - evidence that title No. 2 is not necessarily the end for this dominant program.

Afterward, the players and coaches talked about the same things: The chemistry of this team, the sense of expecting to win again and the satisfaction of becoming the first Virginia AA girls' soccer team to win back-to-back state titles.

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Broad Run Girls' Soccer Repeats as State Champions

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Broad Run's Holly King heads the ball over Hidden Valley's Ellen Hurley (No. 5) and Claire Sibley. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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The Broad Run girls' soccer team hoists its Virginia AA state championship trophy after defeating Hidden Valley, 3-0, on Sunday at Radford. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Members of the Broad Run girls' soccer team picked a little grass from the Cupp Stadium field at Radford to place in the case with their first-place medals. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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"We're all just really proud of what we've accomplished today," said sophomore Whitney Church, who scored her third goal on the weekend to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead just before the half. "We set our goal from the beginning of the year that we were going to get here and win it again, so we did. It feels really good."

Hidden Valley (21-3-1) spent most of the game in its own half defending a patient Broad Run team as they attacked from every angle.

The Spartans threatened several times early in the contest, and there was a sense that it was just a matter of time until they broke through.

Broad Run (23-0-1) did just that in the 15th minute when Kelly Evans spun in the box to beat her defender and played a ball across the face of the goal to Erin Brady on the far post, where the freshman easily directed the ball into the net.

"Last year we had a freshman score the only goal, so that was Ellie Zoepfl, and then today Erin Brady scored the first one as a freshman," Broad Run Coach Claire Collins said. "My girls make fun of me because I always say, 'It's a sign.' And as soon as Erin Brady scored, they looked up and they go, 'It's a sign.' "

The Spartans continued to push forward and held possession in their attacking third for much of the final 25 minutes of the first half before finally doubling the lead with just seconds left before halftime.

Church stepped in front of a square ball in full stride about 45 yards from goal, strode easily through the Hidden Valley defense, touched it by the final defender and into the 18-yard box and smacked a shot to the far post to give Broad Run a 2-0 lead at the break.

Valerie Powell made it 3-0 in the 50th minute on a right-footed shot to the far post, and Broad Run cruised to the title.

Notes: Broad Run finished the season allowing just four goals in 24 games for a new state-record goals against average of 0.17, besting the mark of 0.38 set by Clarke County in 2005. ... Broad Run's win extended its streak to 48 consecutive games without a loss, a state record. The Spartans' last loss came on June 5, 2007 against Courtland in the state quarterfinals. Broad Run is 47-0-1 since then.

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