ALL VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS ARE HERE!
by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191
CHANTILLY - Chargers couldn't fit Chantilly's girls soccer team any better Saturday afternoon.
The Northern Region champions ripped Eastern Region runner-up Kempsville 3-0 in the state Group AAA semifinals at Westfield High School.
Chantilly buried all three goals in the first 15 minutes of the contest.
The first hit the back of the net before anyone's seat got comfortable.
Kaitlyn Manley scored 1:34 into the match off a feed from the terrific
Cortlyn Bristol, headed to William & Mary.
About nine minutes later, Bristol headed in a perfect corner kick from fellow midfielder
Katie Menzie, a James Madison signee.
The assault wasn't over as
Kristen Melchiori's diagonal cross found freshman
Olivia Colella.
Colella
dribbled a couple of times and beat Kempsville's approaching keeper,
Katie Lape, for the final margin only 14:14 into the match.
"It really boosted our confidence,"
Menzie said of the first goal by Manley. "We were able to possess more and put two more away really quickly. It really worked to our advantage to get that early goal."
Chantilly could have had three more in the first half - seriously.
Kempsville keeper Lape was up to the challenge, stopping 17 shots, 10 in the first half. Some Charger offerings just went outside of the pipe of struck the crossbar.
Chantilly shot 17 times and had six corners in the first half, five corners in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Kempsville had one shot in the first half and no corners.
Chantilly was sharp as a tack, and it started with their dominant midfield duo.
"Recently we've been a little rough,"
said Bristol, who will lead the Chargers against Mills Godwin of Richmond in the state final Sunday at 2 p.m. "We haven't been playing our top game. Especially that first half we played excellent.
"I loved it."
Kempsville 0 0 - 0
Chantilly 3 0 - 3
C: Manley, Bristol, Colella
Saves: Lape (K) 17; Jancuska (C) 1; Stillwell (C) 0
Records: Kempsville (13-6-2); Chantilly (19-2-1)
