By Sara Page, Midlothian Exchange
spage@midlothianexchange.com

A mere three months ago, Cosby girls’ varsity soccer and basketball players Becca Wann and Kelsey Conyers sobbed as they watched their vision of a varsity state basketball championship melt away at the hands of Princess Anne.

Three months later the two sobbed again, but this time it was with joy after late game heroics that sent their soccer team to the Virginia High School League Group AAA tournament final. Cosby slipped past Loudoun Valley in Friday’s semifinal match by a 2-1 score. The Titans picked up their winning point with a 4-2 advantage in penalty kicks.

After four overtime periods and 100 minutes under a blazing sun, Cosby and Loudoun Valley remained knotted at 1. The teams took their five-minute allotted break to collect their thoughts and organize the first five penalty kickers. When the teams took the field again, Wann walked toward the goal. But rather than the familiar white jersey, she wore the neon yellow, long-sleeved, padded shirt of the Cosby goal tenders.

“The last time I played [goalie] was eighth grade,” Wann laughed after the game. “I was thinking, ‘Why am I in the goal,’ but I don’t know. I trusted [Cosby head coach Roger] Lattimer and his decision and did what I remembered to do.”

Wann dived first to her left then to her right, saving shots by Ashley Manning and Amber Cook.

Wann couldn’t get to the last two shots from Chrystal Oden and Tabitha McHale, but she didn’t have to. Cosby’s kickers - Joy Grove, Tessa Broadwater, Jayden Metzger and Conyers – were perfect.
Conyers – the fourth Cosby kicker – slammed the door shut with a high kick into the top left corner of the goal. “I was praying a lot,” she confessed with a laugh.

Wann scored the first goal of the game in the 68th minute. The play began 30 yards out with Courtney Hook, who sent a precise leading pass to Grove. Loudoun Valley goalie DiDi Haracic deflected the shot back into the field of play and right to Wann. Flanked by defenders, Wann sent a weak dribbler on goal. Loudoun Valley defender Lexi Clarke came in for the easy clear, but her kick deflected off Haracic, who was trying to recover back to the line, and into the goal.

Loudoun Valley would get the goal back in the 76th minute when Clarke crossed to Manning on the left side. Her shot went inside the opposite post.

For Loudoun Valley, however, the story was missed opportunities. The team saw five scoring opportunities miss the mark, including a point blank shot from McHale with 20 minutes left in regulation.

“They had a fantastic attack,” Lattimer said. “Ashley Manning is just phenomenal. They’d get her the ball and she could just make stuff happen. We just caught some breaks.”

Cosby will play the winner of the 7 p.m. semifinal between Stonebridge and Frank W. Cox high schools.

Loudoun Valley ……….. 0 1 0 0 0 0 – 1
Cosby ………………….. 0 1 0 0 0 1 – 2

Saves: Blayne Fink (C) 4; Wann (C) 2; Haracic (L) 4

Records: Cosby 19-2-1; Loudoun Valley 18-2-3.