RC Boys Battle Back But Drop Hard-Fought Game
Spotswood claimed a 2-1 victory over Rockbridge County High School in a Valley District boys soccer matchup in Lexington last Tuesday.
Vlad Melichenko and Amaday Mozheyko scored two minutes apart midway through the first half to propel the Trailblazers (3-1 overall, 1-1 district) to a 2-0 advantage. Oscar Kosky pulled a goal back for the Wildcats (1-2, 0-2) with a nifty chip shot in the 53rd minute, but RC was unable to find an equalizer down the stretch.
While the ’Cats came out on the wrong end of the result, the contest was significantly more competitive than either of RC’s meetings with Spotswood in 2024, which the Trailblazers won by 6-0 and 4-0 scorelines. And Tuesday’s setback came just four days after a 2-1 road defeat to another strong Valley foe in William Monroe.
“We’ve lost 1-2 back-to-back, and that’s hard to take,” said RC head coach Jeff Tomlin, who took over the program following the resignation of Michael Kelly on March 31. “But Monroe and Spotswood are two top teams, and I think we’re showing that we are going to be competitive this year in the district.”
Still, the Trailblazers started the game on the front foot. They found the breakthrough in the 17th minute, when Melichenko collected a long diagonal cross from midfield and slotted home around the charging RC goalkeeper Eliot McDonald.
Spotswood doubled its advantage two minutes later, with Mozheyko receiving a cross from Bryan Molina and producing a tidy finish at the back post to make it 2-0.
McDonald made a key save shortly after the Trailblazers’ second goal, stretching out to record a diving stop on a 22-yard drive from Bien Itongo.
While the Wildcats were overwhelmed at times by Spotswood’s pressure in the opening 40 minutes, they made some key adjustments and put together a solid second half. McDonald made six of his 10 saves after the break – the Trailblazers held an overall 23-3 advantage in shots – but most of the senior goalkeeper’s second-half work was of the more routine variety.
“Spotswood has so many combos that come at you so fast, and I think that caught our defense off at first,” Tomlin said. “But they really started to be on their toes and pick that up in that second half.”
At the other end, the Wildcats got on the board just over 12 minutes after the break. Pushing up from his holding midfield spot, Kosky gained possession on the left side of the 18--yard box and delivered a cool chip over Spotswood goalie Caleb Furr.
“Oscar was in the right spot at the right time, and he was able to have a good finish over the keeper,” Tomlin said. “I can’t say enough about Oscar; he does not stop on defense or on offense. He’s just a very talented player with such a high motor.”
Though the Wildcats wouldn’t seriously threaten the Spotswood defense for the remainder of the game, their effort and intensity across the second stanza bodes well as the season gets into full swing.
“The biggest goal at halftime was to say, ‘We want to win the second half,’” Tomlin said. “Everyone on this team picked it up in the second half.”
RC was scheduled to visit East Rockingham on Monday. The Wildcats continue district play at Turner Ashby on Tuesday, followed by a home date with Rocktown on Friday, April 25. Junior varsity action begins at 5:30 p.m. on both nights.
