Wednesday, May 27 -- The Rockbridge County High School boys soccer team saw its season come to a close with a 3-0 defeat against Heritage in the first round of the Region 3C tournament at The Fields at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista.
Judah Ufema scored twice and Carlos Gonzalez also notched a goal as the 11th-seeded Pioneers (5-9-4) upended the sixth-seeded Wildcats (12-6). Heritage will advance to face No. 3 seed Staunton on the road in the regional quarterfinals on Friday.
Jacob Wallace made five saves in goal in the first half for RC, while Patrick De Marcellus recorded two stops in the second stanza. For the match, the Pioneers outshot the Wildcats 17-5 and held a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Ufema headed Heritage in front on a corner kick in the eighth minute. Wallace proceeded to make key stops on Kwadwo Ampong and Sawyer Whelan inside the opening half-hour to keep the 'Cats within striking distance.
Two of RC's best chances of the match came in short order toward the end of the period, with Jonathan Roy's 25-yard free kick saved by Pioneer goalkeeper Amari Calloway in the 32nd minute and Parker Fountain's blast from a similar spot sailing narrowly wide two minutes later.
Gonzalez doubled Heritage's lead in the 51st minute, firing home from just outside the 18-yard box. Ufema delivered another set-piece goal in the 64th minute, again heading home a corner as the Pioneers put the game out of reach.
The Wildcats' 12 victories this spring mark their highest win total since the 2016 team finished 15-6 overall and advanced to the regional semifinals.
