Wednesday, May 28 -- Madelyn Jones delivered an overtime game-winner as the Rockbridge County High School girls soccer team clipped Broadway 3-2 in the opening round of the Region 3C tournament at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista.
Jones' goal just over four minutes into the first OT period lifted the eighth-seeded Wildcats (10-6) past the ninth-seeded Gobblers (8-8-2). RC will travel to No. 1 seed Wilson Memorial for the regional quarterfinals on Friday evening.
Lucy Boller-Pinkham put RC in front with a long-range effort in the 11th minute. But otherwise, Broadway dominated the first half, outshooting the 'Cats 19-3 in the opening stanza, and Lily Brown tied things up with a nifty finish off of Anakaren Lopez Aguas' through ball in the 32nd minute. RC goalkeeper Caden Marshall made six saves in the first half to help prevent the Gobblers from notching more than the lone goal.
The second half was much more evenly played; Broadway held an 11-5 edge in shots, but RC posted a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Wildcats retook the lead midway through the period, when Jones' shot from a corner kick deflected in off of a Gobbler defender.
Brown produced another equalizer in the 71st minute, finishing from close range off a long diagonal ball from midfield.
Jones provided the heroics in the 85th minute. On a ball that appeared to be overplayed down the right touchline, the senior went on a 30-yard dead sprint, outpacing a defender and slotting one home past the charging Broadway goalkeeper Andria Davis.
Marshall then made two key saves in the second 5-minute OT period, handling a deflected shot from a corner kick in the 88th minute and adjusting well to a twisting attempt from Adalyn Haarer in the 90th. Davis then saved Boller-Pinkham's long free kick on the final play of the game.
Marshall finished with 13 stops in goal, while Davis made three saves. Overall, Broadway outshot RC 35-10 and held a narrower 10-7 advantage in corners.
Kickoff time for Friday's regional quarterfinal against the Green Hornets (16-0-1) is tentatively slated for 7 p.m.
