‘Cats Take Down Fort RC On Four-Game Streak Heading Into 3C Tourney
The Rockbridge County High School boys soccer team seems to have hit its stride as the postseason gets underway.
The Wildcats defeated Fort Defiance 3-0 on senior night at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista last Tuesday, and they followed that up with a 1-0 win in a weather-shortened game at Alleghany the next evening.
Entering tonight’s Region 3C first-round matchup – visit thenews-gazette.com for details about opponent, time and location – RC has won four straight games and six of its past seven.
The Wildcats closed the regular season with a 12-5 overall record and a 12-4 mark in Shenandoah District play.
In last Tuesday’s match, Cooper Fox bagged a brace and Jonathan Roy also scored as the ’Cats completed a sea- son sweep of the Indians (6-10 overall, 6-9 district). RC had secured a 2-1 road win over Fort back on April 16.
WILDCATS CELEBRATING are (from left) Colin Murphy, Colin Caputo, Cooper Fox and Alex Salvador during RC’s 3-0 win over Fort Defiance. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
Alex Candelario-Jose recorded seven saves in goal for the Indians in the return game, while Jacob Wallace tallied five stops to earn the clean sheet for RC.
The Wildcats brought the right amount of energy for their senior night game. Prior to the contest, RC honored its graduating class of Wallace, Noah Alexander, Colin Caputo, Patrick De Marcellus and Carlos Reynolds.
“What I imagined for senior night was that the guys were going to get up for it. I figured there’d be a lot of energy,” RC head coach Jeffrey Tomlin said. “We’re on a college field; I thought that they would really enjoy it.”
Fox put the Wildcats in front in the 14th minute, firing home after the Wildcats’ initial corner- kick chance was deflected back to him near the top of the 18-yard box.
The 1-0 scoreline held for nearly an hour, with momentum swinging back and forth. For the match, RC held a 15-9 advantage in shots, while Fort posted an 8-5 edge in corner kicks.
Even with Fox’s early goal, Tomlin and his team were expecting that kind of battle – and the Wildcats seemed to be prepared for it.
“If there’s something that I can say about Fort Defiance and Coach [Ian] Thibodeaux, it’s that he always has a very energetic team. … Regardless of the score, they press, and they run, and they put you under pressure,” Tomlin said. “I’m really proud of our guys for playing through that – for playing our game; I prefer possession soccer – and sticking with that despite the high pressure.”
The Wildcats would break the game open with a pair of late goals. Roy scored with nine minutes remaining, delivering a low curling finish from 20 yards out. And roughly a minute later, Fox pounced on a rebound after Jonathan Soriano Caceres’ initial chance on a counterattack had been saved by Candelario-Jose.
The victory was a fitting send-off for RC’s senior class. After Tomlin took over early in the 2025 season, the Wildcats showed some flashes of potential last year – and this season, the team has produced its highest win total in a decade.
“All five of them [the seniors] have really helped change the trajectory over the last two years. I know last year we only won two games, but it felt like a different team,” Tomlin said.
“This year, you can see their desire to continue to propel the program into relevancy again. They’ve been a huge part of that.”
RC 1, Alleghany 0
Fox scored the game’s lone goal as RC secured a 1-0 road win over Alleghany. The match was called at halftime due to inclement weather.
Charlie Cosgriff set up the game winner, playing a pass in toward Fox, who finished it for his 20th marker of the season. That goal secured all three points for the Wildcats against the Cougars, who fell to 6-8-1 both overall and within the district. It also gave RC a season sweep of Alleghany, following up on a 6-1 home win from April 24.
RC JUNIOR forward Parker Fountain dribbles the ball while Fort Defiance’s Landon Nicely tries to keep up with him. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photo)
