by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191
CHANTILLY – Becca Wann‘s illustrious high-school athletic career just reached new heights.
After playing 100 minutes in the midfield, Wann entered goal for the first time in her high-school career and stopped Loudoun Valley’s first two penalty kicks in a 2-1 victory in the state Group AAA semifinals Friday at Westfield High School.
“I came off the field and coach [Roger Lattimer] was like, ‘Becca, can you go in goal?’ ” said an exhausted but elated Wann. “I did what I remembered to do in eighth grade, and that was it.”
What an eighth grade year that must’ve been, and what a contest this was.
Both teams traded strength in the first half, Cosby for the first 20, LV for the next, who actually got a header goal from Amber Cook but it was waved off for offside.
It seemed like OT was looming, but a ball got loose in LV’s box late in the second half.
Joy Grove blasted at keeper DiDi Haracic who came up with the save, but it trickled out to who else but Wann.
She took a powerful shot that bounced off LV defenders and into the net in the 68th minute for what seemed like may be a Cosby win.
Undaunted, Loudoun responded eight minutes later on a beautiful cross by Lexi Clarke to Ashley Manning, who beat Cosby’s freshman keeper Blayne Fink, who played enormous in place of regular starter Nikki Pond (ODP event).
The next 20 minutes of overtimes went with no goals and it set up the heroics of Wann, and potent PK’ing by Grove, Tessa Broadwater, Hayden Metzger and finally Kelsey Conyers to end the contest.
“I was just feeling that Becca is the leader of this team, the heart and soul of this team,” Lattimer said. “You want your star in there. Everybody looks to Becca to win every single game. We had that chance to do it and look at what she did.”
All she did was take herself and Cosby to new heights – the state championship, Saturday at 3 p.m. versus Stone Bridge, a surprising 4-0 victor over Frank Cox.
Loudoun Valley 0 1 0 0 0 – 1
Cosby 0 1 0 0 1 – 2
* Cosby wins penalty kicks 4-2
LV: Manning
C: Wann, PK
Saves: Haracic (LV) 4; Fink (C) 4
Records: Loudoun Valley (18-2-3); Cosby (19-2-1)
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