In a varsity soccer doubleheader with East Rockingham, the Rockbridge County High School girls soccer team coasted to an 8-0 win, while the RC boys lost 4-2 on Thursday night at The Fields at Southern Virginia University.
The games were played on the turf field at SVU because, due to an inclement weather postponement, there was an RC boys lacrosse game going on at RC’s home field.
In the girls’ game, the Wildcats (7-4-0 overall and in the district) went on the attack early and often, scoring six goals in the first half.
Lucy Boller-Pinkham, who led RC with three goals, scored about 10 minutes in, and Lydia Kendall scored shortly after that to make it 2-0. Madelyn Jones then put in a goal on an assist from Boller-Pinkham about 12 ½ minutes into the game to make it 3-0. The next goal for RC was an own goal by ER’s Carly Liddle. Before halftime, the Wildcats scored again on a penalty kick from Kendall, and RC’s final goal of the first half was from Jones.
In the second half, Boller-Pinkham scored two more goals, getting the Wildcats’ eighth goal with about 21 minutes to go, and the game ended 20 minutes early due to the eight-goal mercy rule.
With the Wildcats possessing the ball for the vast majority of the game, RC sophomore goalkeeper Caden Marshall was rarely challenged, having to make just one save.
For the Eagles (1-9-1 overall, 0-7-1 district), Camila Suarez Nunez made five saves.
When the teams previously met on April 14 in Elkton, RC also won 8-0.
The boys’ game was a rematch of the double-overtime thriller in April, which the Wildcats (2-10-0, 1-9-0) won 5-4 in Elkton, with the game starting on April 14 before it was stopped by lightning and then concluded on April 21.
On Thursday, ER (4-10-0, 2-8-0) took a 1-0 lead when Jonathan Ramirez Sevilla scored about midway through the first half.
With just under 15 minutes left in the first half, RC’s Noah Carroll broke away from defenders and put in a goal to tie the game 1-1.
Moments later, ER’s Gilberto Bautista Jimenez scored to give the visitors a 2-1 lead that they carried into halftime.
About 10 minutes into the second half, a goal by Derian Martinez gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead. Moments later, Jimenez scored again to make it 4-1.
After the Wildcats missed two shots off the post and crossbar, Carroll scored his second goal to cut ER’s lead to 4-2, but RC could get no closer.
Senior Eliot McDonald played the first half in goal for the Wildcats, making three saves. In the second half, Jacob Wallace had one save.
For ER, goalkeeper Hayden Baugher made three saves.
The RC boys and girls will continue district action against Turner Ashby on Friday, with the boys at home and the girls at TA, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m., with varsity action scheduled for 7 p.m. Before the varsity boys’ game, the Wildcats will honor their eight seniors.
For the full stories on this week’s action, with photos from Thursday’s games, please see our May 21 newspaper.
