Gallery by Tina Laney
Fairlea – Greenbrier East standout Ava Workman has proven she can take an assist and score with regularity on the hardwood.
Thursday night in the Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 girls soccer championship, the sophomore striker proved she also knows how to convert on the pitch in crunch time as well.
Taking a through ball from senior Caroline Dotson, Workman beat the Oak Hill keeper to the far post with 10 minutes to play for a 2-1 lead and the eventual game winner.
“Every time we play them it is either a tie or we go to extras and do penalty kicks. The last three or four years have been that way,” Greenbrier East head coach Mike Dotson said. “(Oak Hill head) coach (Gerald) Wilburn has them playing hard and they never quit. You can game plan all you want, but sometimes it just comes down to heart and the right bounce sometimes. It is a good rivalry and that is what you want in a sectional.”
The Spartans and the Red Devils met Thursday for the fourth year in a row in sectional play with the last two going East’s way by a razor thin margin.
“I knew it was going to be like this,” Wilburn said. “They got up on us 1-0, but the kids refused to quit. We battled back and tied it. I thought (Greenbrier East) was wearing down some in the second half and we were gaining some momentum after we scored.”
After beating Oak Hill last year with a penalty kick in a 1-0 decision, Dotson put the home team up early with a blast that slipped through the keeper’s hands in the 10th minute of play.
The one-goal advantage stood midway through the second half before Oak Hill found some life and put East under some serious pressure in front of the net.
Following a diving save from Spartans’ keeper Grace Boettner, the Red Devils evened the match when Tayler Sizemore knocked in a corner kick in the 57th minute.
The goal clearly energized Oak Hill which had some solid looks over the next few minutes, but could not get one to find the mark.
“With those corner kicks, the ball was dancing on the line,” Wilburn lamented. “We had some chances. The kids really played hard and I hate it for them to come up short again.”
Dotson talked about the crazy stretch and his team’s ability to survive the Oak Hill onslaught.
“We work on possession, but sometimes when the game gets fast, we play fast and then it becomes a kick-ball game for a second,” Dotson said. “When we reorganize and pass, we can possess it. Grace made some huge plays tonight. Our freshman back line was strong. Avery Thompson has been a great defender for us. It is impressive to see them all work together.”
Dotson also credited his daughter and fellow senior Ryan White will stabilizing the ship and getting the Spartans back on track after the rough stretch.
“I lean on Caroline and Ryan White. They have been at this for awhile and I hope they can organize them back to play some good soccer,” Dotson said. “We have expected big things from Ava in the second half and she has really come on for us.”
Dotson not only made the key pass to Workman, she set the scoring sequence up with solid defense. Forcing a turnover in the midfield, Dotson slid the ball through three Oak Hill defenders finding Workman for the winning try.
Greenbrier East advances to the Region 3 championship match and will meet up with George Washington at Paul Cline Stadium Tuesday in Beckley. The Patriots beat Nitro on penalty kicks (6-5) to advance.
Game time will be approximately 7 p.m. and follows the boys championship played at 5 p.m.
