West Virginia daily

By Jerry Miller / Daily Progress staff writer April 26, 2005

As the Charlottesville and Western Albemarle girls' soccer teams prepared to clash in what was easily the most anticipated girls game of the year, in the end the subplots far exceeded the game's final score.

The Black Knights' Amy Hemenway tallied the lone goal of the game as CHS topped visiting WAHS 1-0 in a hot-tempered, closely contested Jefferson District battle.

Charlottesville improved to 6-0 on the year and 5-0 in district play while Western Albemarle fell to 5-2-1 on the season and 4-1 in the district.

"This is always a big rivalry. It's the same thing that happens when either Charlottesville, Western or Albemarle play each other," said Black Knights coach Steve Saunders. "It's early in the season. Both teams are still developing their styles so things are going to be more physical than usual."

The contest matched the area's top talent in Hemenway and Western's Katina Boozer, two technically sound center midfielders that like to create with the ball at their feet. Each is their team's respective playmaker, the go-between among defenders and strikers.

After a first half in which neither team generated many true scoring chances, Hemenway broke the nil-nil tie in the game's 51st minute with a rip from 25 yards out that bounced off keeper Elise Carpenter's paws and into the net.

"I took it from behind the 18 [yard box] and saw an opening so I took the shot," said Hemenway, a sophomore.

It wasn't an Abby Wambach type goal but it didn't have to be.

"In a game like this, Amy's goal was a huge morale boost for us," Saunders said. "It broke the ice. Western-Charlottesville games haven't been blowouts lately."

The Warriors made a valiant effort in the second half - they outshot CHS 9-8 in the game's final 40 minutes - but could not finish around the Black Knights' goal.

"We created opportunities but we have to finish them," said WAHS coach Lesly Gourdet, who indicated Charlottesville's physical style had an impact on Western's play. "Yeah, that isn't my style of play because it takes away from the game. CHS brought the physical play in my opinion, so we had to answer. Charlottesville is a good team, but next time we'll be better prepared."

Black Knight keeper Stephanie Sherwood made 11 saves off 15 Warrior shots while Carpenter registered six saves off 16 Black Knight shots.

"People were all over the ground tonight," said Charlottesville defender Elizabeth Weaver, who was fantastic in limiting Western striker Molly Schwoebel's scoring opportunities. "It goes with the rivalry. We were back and forth all night long."

While the Warriors looked for the tying goal late in the second half, the offense appeared to get stagnant as their strikers and outside midfielders stood and watched Boozer do her thing in the midfield rather than cutting into space, slashing to corner flags and finishing their runs.

"I told them before the game that we couldn't stand and watch," Gourdet said. "We didn't check to the ball. We didn't communicate. We didn't come to play. With a game of this magnitude, you got to come to play."

The game also showcased Charlottesville's superior depth. Saunders substituted 21 players while Gourdet made just seven

"We are a very deep team this year," Saunders said. "We have five seniors, five juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen. It's a great mix of veterans and newcomers. We're very balanced."

At the close of the game, a business like Black Knight squad had already shifted its focus to the remainder of its schedule.

"It was really important to get that first win [over Western]," senior captain Laura Batt said. "Now we have to look at the season even closer. We have to look at every game and every team because we can't afford a loss."

Contact Jerry Miller at (434) 978-7250 or jmiller@dailyprogress.com

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