Gallery by Heather Belcher
Woodrow Wilson striker Sophie Hall has always worked to play her best, especially in the postseason.
This year as a senior, there is an even bigger sense of urgency.
Coming off a four-goal performance in the sectional semifinal win over Princeton, Hall was once again the spark for the Flying Eagles Thursday night in the sectional championship clash with longtime rival Oak Hill at Paul Cline Stadium.
Making an athletic sliding play on a ball from Mya Wooton, Hall knocked in a goal in the 24th minute that was the eventual game winner in a 3-nil victory.
“As a junior I played and gave it my all, but when you know it could be the last time you step on this field I am going to do my part as a forward. I am going to score and I am going to leave it all on the field,” Hall said.
Facing a tough defensive team in the Red Devils and needing to rally from a halftime deficit in last year’s championship match, Woodrow went on the attack early and maintained the heat for 80 minutes.
“We decided that we could not sit back any longer. It’s time for us to be the aggressor and take it,” Woodrow Wilson head coach Julie Agnor said. “They came out like nobody’s business tonight.”
Being marked all night by the Oak Hill defense, sophomore all-stater Mya Wooton knew she had to get teammates involved for her team to be successful.
“Oak Hill always has Kerrisyn (Feazell) on me and she is really good. She sticks close by me like a face-guard in basketball,” Wooton said. “I knew if I had her on me, I had to get away from Sophie, so she could get through. If I had the ball, it would be a one-touch to someone or I had to dribble to make something happen.”
Wooton made something happen when she dribbled through the defenders and slid the ball forward to her running-mate. Hall made a nice sliding kick on the ball to beat the keeper far post for a 1-nil lead.
“I knew the score was 0-0 and we had to get on the board. I didn’t care if I had to slide and hit it with my face, I was putting that ball in the net,” Hall said, laughing. “I did not want to lose. Mya played that ball beautifully. When she gets man-marked, I know I have to step-up and do what I have to do. We just feed off of each other’s energy. It is a great dynamic.”
On the opposite side, Oak Hill could not generate any offense to apply pressure on the Woodrow defenders.
“We just came out flat it seemed like and we had trouble getting the ball up the field,” Oak Hill head coach Gerald Wilburn said. “They would press on us and get it to the middle of the field. They would hold us down there and it’s tough to get out.”
The Flying Eagles doubled the lead 10 minutes into the final half when Wooton played the ball into the goal area and Ama Ackon-Annan banged it in for a a 2-nil advantage.
Although she had much of defensive focus on her all night, Wooton blasted a direct kick from about 35 yards out that dropped in off the bottom of the crossbar.
“I feel like I started off slow in the beginning, but Sophie was getting me hyped throughout and my team was carrying me on. My shots weren’t on in the beginning, but I finally I got one in the second half,” Wooton said. “My mindset was to get it out wide so we could put it back in. I wanted to clear out the space because I knew I wasn’t going to get many looks.”
Oak Hill registered just one shot on goal Thursday, but the save by Woodrow Wilson senior keeper Ally Arthur was the 100th save of the season, giving her 379 for her career.
“Ally has been a rock for us back there. You always worry when you get to this point and she hasn’t had a lot of shots on her. You wonder if she will be awake when the ball comes, but she has always proved herself,” Agnor said. “You can’t ask for a better keeper.”
The win sends Woodrow Wilson to the regional championship match Tuesday at Paul Cline Stadium against its old nemesis, George Washington.
“When we lost to them 1-0 (in the regular season) that should have never happened. I think you will see a different game,” Agnor said. “Last year we sat back on our heels and protected the goal. This year it won’t be that way.”
If the Flying Eagles are to make it to the state soccer tournament, beating the defending Class AAA state champions would be a fitting way to arrive.
“It will take our entire team. We will all need to be on,” Hall said. “This match tonight is definitely going to lift us up and we are going to build off this energy and bring it against G-Dub. When we work together, it is when we play the best.”
