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The Rockbridge County High School boys soccer team lost a pair of Valley District matches last week, falling 4-0 at home to Spotswood before dropping a 7-0 decision at Turner Ashby.
Last Tuesday, the Wildcats (1-7 overall, 0-3 district) suffered a 4-0 home defeat to the undefeated Blazers. Spotswood (3-0 district), which would improve to 9-0 with a 4-1 win over Wilson Memorial later in the week, has outscored its opposition 38-6 on the season.
With that in mind, RC head coach Scott Youngdahl was pleased with the way his team battled – especially in the first half, when the Blazers mustered just one goal.
“I felt we really played well,” Youngdahl said. “We defended well. We played with intensity. We kept our heads up and were in it.”
RC junior goalkeeper John Lindberg recorded seven saves, including a pair of key stops to keep the match close in the first half. John Huss and Brian Kendall each had two shots for the ’Cats, while defender Micah Mayr launched a 30yard strike that produced a brilliant save from the Spotswood goalkeeper.
The Wildcats are generating some good offensive pressure against quality opposition – but as of late, the final product hasn’t quite been there.
“We’re creating chances, but we’re just not putting the ball in the net,” Youngdahl said. “A lot of times, we’re happy just to get contact and drive it at the goal. We need to be more clinical … maybe find one more pass, or be a bit more incisive with that final touch.”
Spotswood would pull away after halftime, grabbing a couple of early second-half goals that put the Blazers in control and helped them maintain their perfect record.
TA 7, RC 0
Turner Ashby defeated the visiting Wildcats 7-0 in Bridgewater on Friday night.
The Knights (7-3, 2-1) were dominant from the opening whistle, building up a 4-0 advantage by halftime and never letting RC back in the game.
“They’re just a very fluid team. They’re very fast; they’re very well disciplined,” Youngdahl said of TA. “It makes it hard to thread passes together when their positioning is very good. They’re quick, and they don’t turn over the ball.”
Despite the lopsided final, there were some bright spots for the Wildcats. Lindberg made eight more saves, while RC produced scoring chances for Cole Boller-Pinkham – who had two shots that were well saved by the Knights’ goalie – Kendall, Noah Carroll and Emmet King-Bond.
“We didn’t gift them anything. They earned their goals,” Youngdahl said. “We did create some opportunities, too. We never could put the biscuit in the basket.”
Having just passed the midway point of the season, the Wildcats are hoping to show improvement after playing four elite squads – RC’s previous week featured tough matches against Staunton and Harrisonburg – all in succession.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to play very good teams to find out where you are,” Youngdahl said.
The Wildcats were scheduled to entertain Broadway on Tuesday. RC will continue district action at home against Harrisonburg before playing host to nondistrict rival James River on Tuesday. Both nights are scheduled to start with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.
