RC Boys Soccer Caps Best Season In Ten Years
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 last Wednesday.
Judah Ufema scored twice and Carlos Gonzalez notched a goal as the 11th-seeded Pioneers (5-10-4) upended the sixth-seeded Wildcats (12-6-0). In Friday’s regional quarterfinals, Heritage would fall 2-1 at No. 3 seed Staunton (16-2-0).
Jacob Wallace made five saves in goal in the first half for RC in last Wednesday’s contest, 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.
RC struggled to get quality touches for key offensive players like Cooper Fox and Jonathan Roy. The Wildcats’ head coach, Jeffrey Tomlin, praised Heritage’s defense for neutralizing his team’s attack.
“They no doubt knew that Cooper [Fox] and Jonathan Roy were the guys that feed our goals,” Tomlin said.
“They just didn’t let Cooper turn with the ball at all, so it was really hard for us to make chances with the through balls that we usually get.”
Ufema headed the Pioneers 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 Roy’s 25-yard free kick saved by Heritage goalkeeper Amari Calloway in the 32nd minute and Parker Fountain’s blast from a similar spot sailing narrowly wide two minutes later.
Gonzalez doubled the Pioneers’ lead in the 51st minute, firing home from just outside the 18-yard box. Ufema delivered another goal in the 64th minute, again heading home a corner as Heritage put the game out of reach.
Although the Pioneers tucked away three goals, only Gonzalez’s effort came in the run of play. Taking away Ufema’s two set-piece finishes, Tomlin was pleased with the way that the Wildcats’ defense contained a dangerous attack.
“Most of Heritage’s goals came from outside of open play,” the second-year RC coach said. “I think our back line did a really good job of limiting the other team’s chances, regardless of how good their front line is.”
The loss provided a disappointing conclusion to what has otherwise been a sterling season for the Wildcats. Their 12 victories mark the program’s highest win total since the 2016 squad – almost undeniably the best in school history – finished 15-6 overall and advanced to the regional semifinals. In their first year in the Shenandoah District, the Wildcats went 12-4-0.
And while RC will miss De Marcellus, Wallace and fellow graduates Noah Alexander, Colin Caputo and Carlos Reynolds, the future still looks bright. Fox, who scored 20 goals this spring, leads a gifted group of returners; meanwhile, the ’Cats’ junior varsity squad went 12-0-2 in the regular season, providing a pipeline of talent for the varsity roster.
“I’m tremendously excited about where we’re headed,” Tomlin said. “There’s just so many key players returning for us… I think we’re going to have a really, really strong side next year.
“And I can’t stress enough about the JV team: they’re doing such a good job,” he added. “I’m really excited that that team is developing habits of winning tough games. It’s going to be a good group of guys coming up that don’t really know what it’s like to lose.”
