It was exactly the start W.T. Woodson needed, an opening minute goal to show defending Virginia Group AAA state champion Stafford it was in for a fight.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers the rest of the afternoon wouldn’t go so smoothly. By the early moments of the second half they had lost the lead and control of the game. It all added up to a 3-1 Stafford win in a state tournament quarterfinal at Oakton on Thursday.
Junior forward Meg Thaxton scored in the opening seconds to give Woodson a surprise early lead over the Indians. But less than a minute later senior midfielder Kimberly Sullivan answered for Stafford with a goal off a penalty corner.
“I felt like we were right there most of the game,” said Woodson senior goalie Louise Gericke. “We had some chances and then they kind of got us on our heels. But we still kept the pressure on them.”
Stafford took the lead five minutes into the second half when a shot by junior forward Amanda Lowery deflected past Gericke. They added an insurance goal on a penalty corner by senior midfielder Ashley Frye at the 17:20 mark.
The Cavaliers were facing a familiar opponent. They lost to Stafford, 4-0, in the state semifinals last year and again in September when the two teams reached the Sun Devil Invitational final in Virginia Beach. That was a 2-1 win for the Indians.
The loss also marked the end for Woodson coach Andy Muir after 12 seasons. Muir originally announced his retirement last fall, but came back when Woodson was still without a coach into the summer.
“Great school, great kids,” said Muir, who led the Cavaliers to a state title in 2003. “To win more than 100 games in that time and make the state tournament five times has meant a lot.”
Tourney tally
» W.T. Woodson, the Northern Region runner-up, ends its season at 19-3. Northern Region champ Westfield played Mountain View last night in a quarterfinal too late for this edition. If victorious the Bulldogs would play either Maury or Thomas Dale tonight at 5.
» Stafford (22-0) has now won 46 games in a row after finishing 24-0 in 2005. The Indians face Frank W. Cox today at 3 p.m. in the first semifinal at Oakton. Cox was a 7-2 winner over James River.
