By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area
Click the links above for all photos and videos from the Northern Region Tournament quarterfinal game!
West Springfield was so focused on its Northern Region quarterfinal match with defending state champion Robinson, its goalkeeper forgot the worst part about surviving another round:
More practices.
“We’ve got practice tomorrow. I never thought I’d say that: ‘We have practice tomorrow,'” Spartan senior Beth Anne Nowak said. “I think we’re starting to believe. I think we’re finally starting to believe we can do this.”
Nowak never specified what “this” is, but after its performance on Thursday, few around the region doubt they have the ability to pull “it” off.
West Springfield beat Robinson in six penalty kicks, 5-4, after finishing regulation — and four overtimes — tied at 1, to advance to the Northern Region semifinals, where a win would clinch a berth in the Virginia AAA State Tournament.
“No other team was expecting us to beat them and we did it,” said Spartan senior Jessie Gonzalez, tied with Patriot District Player of the Year Amalya Clayton for the team lead in goals — 14 for the season. “It was our goal to get past the second round of regionals, and we did it. It feels so good.”
Through 14 minutes, though, West Springfield faced something it had just seen once since its only loss of the season on March 16: a deficit.
Robinson senior Annie Hovland headed an in-swinging corner — one of seven for the Rams in the first half — off the ground, over a Spartan defender and inside of the far post.
It was the first time West Springfield trailed since a five-minute span in a 1-1 draw with W.T. Woodson.
But the three-time defending Patriot champions equalized in the 62nd minute on a well-struck shot by Gonzalez from 20 yards out that deflected off the Ram goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.
Tired legs and obvious defensive conservatism brought the match to penalties.
“It’s the most nerve-wracking thing ever,” said Gonzalez, who was assigned — and made — the third Spartan attempt. “I missed my PK against Annandale the other day, but scoring against Robinson feels so much better.”
Through five attempts, the sides were had each made four strikes and missed one, forcing extra, one-by-one penalties.
Nowak, the first-team all-district goalkeeper, guessed right and punched away the next Ram strike. Spartan junior midfielder Julia Stejskal, who was celebrating her birthday, buried the succeeding try — her second successful kick — to cement the win.
“Dear God, let the next shooter put the ball in the back of the net,” Nowak said of her initial reaction to her last save. “That’s was my next thought: ‘Thank You, Lord. Let the next shot go in.’ That was it. That was the only thing going through my mind was ‘Lord, let the next shot go in.'”
West Springfield takes aim at a regional final — and state tournament — berth when it faces Oakton in the semifinals at Robinson on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
For defending Northern Region and Virginia AAA State champion Robinson, Thursday’s loss was its second defeat since March 28, 2008 — but also its second since Friday, and the Rams’ second by penalty kicks.
Robinson lost to Chantilly in the Concorde District championship on penalties, which placed them in the Northern Region’s version of the Group of Death, surrounded by Woodson, Oakton, West Springfield and Stone Bridge.
It took only six days, but the Rams could not navigate the minefield in its bracket and were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
“It’s a big fall — undefeated for 13 games and then, bang, bang, two of the next three,” said Robinson coach Jim Rike, a five-time state champion. “But we thought that could happen. When we lost to Chantilly, we put ourselves in an incredibly hard bracket … If we hadn’t lost to Chantilly, we wouldn’t have met [West Springfield] until the finals.
“I think they’re a good squad. It’ll be interesting to see them play Oakton. Oakton has a lot of speed up top, too.”
Note: Robinson and West Springfield are tied for the most all-time girls’ soccer state titles in Virginia — five.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
Robinson (13-2-1) 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1
West Springfield (15-1-2) 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 1
*West Springfield wins on penalties, 5-4
(click the links below for footage of each shot!)
Goals:
RB — Hovland (14)
WS — Gonzalez (62)
Penalties — Player (O/X) — Score
RB 1 — Criman (O) — 1-0
WS 1 — Stejskal (O) — 1-1
RB 2 — Barry (X) — 1-1
WS 2 — Adams (O) — 1-2
RB 3 — Baxter (O) — 2-2
WS 3 — Gonzalez (O) — 2-3
RB 4 — Smith (O) — 3-3
WS 4 — Harrison (X) — 3-3
RB 5 — Miller (O) — 4-3
WS 5 — Scanlon (O) — 4-4
RB 6 — Criman (X) — 4-4
WS 6 — Stejskal (O) — 4-5
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