RC Boys Shut Out Three Times

The Rockbridge County High School boys soccer team suffered three shutout losses in Valley District action last week, falling at East Rockingham 2-0 last Wednesday and losing to Harrisonburg twice, away last Monday and at home on Friday.

Against East Rockingham (65-0 overall, 2-5-0 district), the Wildcats (1-8-0, 1-6-0) struggled without senior defender Micah Mayr and were unprepared for a team that is new to the Valley District. “I think they underestimated East Rock,” said RC head coach Michael Kelly of his players.

The Wildcats suffered a 5-0 road loss to Harrisonburg (5-2-1, 4-2-1) on Monday of last week and fell 8-0 at home on Friday.

In Friday’s game, the Blue Streaks scored all of their goals in the first half, but the Wildcats stepped up defensively in the second half, despite the game ending 20 minutes early due to the eight-goal mercy rule.

Kelly said the difference between the first half and the second half was “night and day” for his team.

“I don’t know what happened to us in the first half,” he said. “We just didn’t play. I guess we weren’t awake. We were there physically, but our mental game, I don’t know if we really wanted to play.”

Harrisonburg took a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes and was up 5-0 17 minutes into the game. The Blue Streaks continued to dominate, stretching their lead to 8-0 just before halftime.

Giving the Blue Streaks credit, Kelly said, “They’re a fantastic team. They’re really good, very skilled, very fast, and we’re not there yet. It’s that simple.”

In goal for RC, John Lindberg made one save in the first half before backup goalkeeper Eliot McDonald replaced him for the rest of the game, making six saves.

“We did not lose this game because of John Lindberg,” said Kelly. “He did all right. When they’re turning and shooting at you inside the 18-yard box, there’s not a whole lot you can do.”

Reviewing the night, Kelly said, “This is one of those games where you’re like, why did you get beat? Learn from it and move on and try to get better next time.”

The Wildcats will play host to Staunton on Thursday before returning to district action at Spotswood on Friday, and they’ll play host to district rival Turner Ashby on Tuesday. All three nights will start with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.