Victory Is Soccer Team’s First In A Regional Tourney
The Rockbridge County High School girls soccer team made program history in the Region 3C tournament last week, winning an overtime thriller over Broadway before falling in the quarterfinals to top seed Wilson Memorial.
Last Wednesday, Madelyn Jones delivered an OT gamewinner as the eighth-seeded Wildcats (10-7) clipped the ninth-seeded Gobblers 3-2 in the opening round of the Region 3C playoffs at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista – marking the first-ever regional tournament victory for RC. The ’Cats then fell 7-0 to the unbeaten Green Hornets in the quarterfinals in Fishersville on Saturday.
RC’s 10th victory also broke the school record, eclipsing the previous mark of nine wins set in 2017 and matched in 2018. The 2017 squad claimed the school’s first postseason victory – a conference tournament win against Magna Vista – while the 2018 ’Cats qualified for the regional bracket for the first time. RC went 9-5 in the Valley District this year. Last year, the Wildcats finished 8-9 overall and 6-6 in the district.
RC head coach Danny Wheeler was quick to praise his team’s senior contingent – Jones, Emily Boling, Brooke Eichelberger, Lydia Kendall, Sofia Smith and Madeline Swisher – for leading the way to what he described as a “historic win” for the program.
“Much to be credited to our seniors, many of whom have played together for as many as 10 years,” Wheeler said. “The secret to all of this is this team bought into the current coaching staff from day one two years ago.
“They are very quick to learn, and they’re very dedicated to work,” the RC coach added. “It’s that work ethic that has really produced the success for the team.”
RC also showed plenty of resiliency to make the regional breakthrough. While Lucy Boller-Pinkham put the Wildcats in front with a long-range effort in the 11th minute of last Wednesday’s first-round game, Broadway (8-8-2) otherwise dominated the first half.
The Gobblers outshot 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 before halftime to prevent Broadway from notching more than the lone goal.
The second half was much more evenly played: while Broadway held an 11-5 edge in shots, RC posted a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks as the game swung back and forth. The Wildcats certainly looked a lot more comfortable on the field after the break.
“Big games come down to the fundamentals,” Wheeler said. “It was all about first touches, winning those 5050s, and then just making those connections.”
RC retook the lead midway through the period, when Jones’ shot from a corner kick deflected in off a Gobbler defender. But Brown produced another equalizer in the 71st minute, finishing from close range after receiving a 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.
“We had talked at the end of regulation, that we needed to just get a ball out in front and run it down,” Wheeler said. “It was the right pass, even though you wish for something cleaner. It was effective enough, and [Jones] was able to run it down and get one-on-one with the goalie, and that makes all the difference.”
Marshall made two key saves to keep the Gobblers at bay 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, while the Gobblers held a narrower 10-7 advantage in corners.
WM 7, RC 0
No. 1 seed Wilson Memorial ended the Wildcats’ run with a 7-0 victory in Fishersville on Saturday evening.
The Green Hornets, who reached the Class 3 state semifinals in both 2023 and 2024, led 2-0 at halftime before pulling away from RC with a string of late goals. Wilson (17-0-1) has now outscored its opponents 99-4 on the season. “They just have a very strong overall team,” Wheeler said of Saturday’s opponent. “They demonstrated yesterday in the second half just how focused they can be, controlling the pace of the game.”
Marshall registered 16 saves for the Wildcats. Wheeler described his sophomore goalie’s effort as “one of the best performances regarding endurance and adjusting” to the Green Hornets’ pace.
While the Wildcats’ season ended with a tough loss against an elite opponent, Wheeler believes that the 2025 squad has set the stage for sustained success on the pitch. The Wildcats will join Wilson in the Shenandoah District, with shorter trips for district games.
“Moving forward, there’s a strong foundation that now exists – that No. 1, Rockbridge can be more than just competitive; they can walk away winning key games,” he said, adding that the Wildcats have the potential for “competing not only at the district level, but being a considerable threat at the regional level, too.”
AMONG THE scenes from the Wildcats’ 3-2 overtime win over Broadway in the first round of the Region 3C tournament were, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, RC sophomore goalkeeper Caden Marshall diving to make one of her six saves; Broadway’s Adalyn Haarer dribbling the ball while Marshall guards her and RC senior defender Brooke Eichelberger (10) approaches from the goal; Wildcat freshman Anna Feldman (26) and junior Briana Itehua-Lopez guarding Broadway’s Anakaren Lopez Aguas; and RC senior forward Madelyn Jones (center) waiting for the ball to drop while sophomore teammate Lucy Boller-Pinkham (5) and two Gobblers watch. Jones led the Wildcats with two goals, including the game winner, while Boller-Pinkham scored one goal. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
