Goochland soccer ends dramatic region run as runner-up

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

In one of the most impressive storylines of the school year, the Goochland boys soccer team’s rise has reached a new level.

The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Leon Williams, have had quite the turnaround from a 5-13 season last year, where they had to adjust to new competition in the Jefferson District. This year, it appears they’ve acclimated just fine, improving to a 9-9-1 record and finishing as the Class 3, Region B runner-up.

Their run to the runnerup trophy was a miraculous one, with teeth-clenching victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals that gave them a shot at the region title and guaranteed them a spot in the VHSL Class 3 State Tournament.

The regional run ended when they ran into the Meridian Mustangs (15-3-1) on the road, a game which ended early in an 8-0 loss on May 1, but the defeat at the hands of a challenger as talented as Meridian doesn’t take away from the fight the team showed to get to that point.

Entering the tournament as the four-seed, the Bulldogs began their run with a rematch against the William Monroe Dragons (98-1), a team that handed them their first loss of the season on March 28. That game early in the season ended with the Dragons winning off a late penalty kick for a 2-1 win.

This time, the Dragons never found the back of the net in any capacity, with Goochland goalkeeper Braedon McKeown holding down the fort while the team pulled away with a 2-0 victory.

That win pitted them against the top-seeded Manassas Park Cougars, a formidable foe that held a 13-2-2 overall record and a 9-0-1 record in the Northwestern District.

In order to beat a team like the Cougars, everyone needed to rise to the occasion, and as soon as the team got off the bus and took the field for warmups on enemy turf, the coaching staff saw that their guys were locked in and ready for war.

“The guys were high energy, almost like a carefree energy when we got off the bus,” Williams said.

Williams credits the team’s discipline in close games coming down to their conditioning and experience in intense finishes against tough teams like Western Albemarle, Orange County and William Monroe.

“I’m kind of hardened to it, but at the same time, it’s new every time and you stress out about it and you get the nerves,” he said. Regulation ended with the game tied up at one goal apiece, with the Bulldogs getting a score from senior Jack Corral. After two scoreless overtime periods, it had to be settled in a penalty shootout.

The Bulldogs saw shots from Conner Doersch, Aiden Valdez, Duncan Pillion and Landon Schroder go in, and with the Cougars in need of a goal to extend the shootout, McKeown rose to the occasion with the game-ending save that ended the season of the region’s top team. The Bulldogs rushed the field in jubilation after pulling off what the home fans thought was an unthinkable reality.

“The kids played very under control, and they didn’t look nervous. We played our game,” Williams said.

Coming off the loss in the region final, the Bulldogs look ahead to the state quarterfinals, where they’ll travel to meet the Tabb Tigers (10-5-2), win - ners of the Class 3, Region A tournament as a threeseed.

After two road games to end the region tournament, the Bulldogs got some much-needed rest over the weekend, but they’ll need to recover quickly from a tough loss and get back in the mindset that the season is on the line in every game from here on out.