24th consecutive district win seals another title for LB girls
The Lord Botetourt girls have now won 24 consecutive soccer games against Blue Ridge District opponents, and the 24th clinched another BRD title.
Botetourt beat Northside, 2-1, on the Vikings’ home pitch last Friday to complete an 8-0 district regular season. The Vikings had lost just one district game prior to Friday, so it was a big win for the Cavaliers. Electricity was in the air, literally, as the Cavaliers clinched the crown.
The Vikings and Cavs battled to a scoreless tie in the first half, and Northside broke on top off a free kick with about 20 minutes left. At that point LB coach Jamie Bednarek spotted lightning far beyond the Northside scoreboard, so he knew it was getting serious.
LB tied it up with 16 minutes on the clock. Jade Lewis threw the ball in and Macey Tyree flicked it to Cassie Garland, who hit the net for a 1-1 tie. Then, two minutes later, Kennedi VanRavestein found Holly Martin open and she scored to put LB on top, 2-1.
After four more minutes the lightning got too close for comfort and the players were pulled off the field. After a brief delay the game was called and LB was declared the winner, clinching the BRD title in the process.
“That was the craziest 10 minutes I’ve experienced since I’ve been coach,” Bednarek said. “I saw that lightning coming and I knew we better get going.”
The championship was the third straight for LB, and the girls have won 20 consecutive regular season games covering three years. They finished with an overall record of 15-1, losing only to Hidden Valley. Botetourt will get a home game June 1 when the Region III tournament begins.
The Blue Ridge District tournament will be held at William Byrd next week after a Tuesday “play in” game between fourth seeded Byrd and fifth seeded Alleghany. LB will get the winner of that game on Wednesday, and the championship game is Friday, May 28.
