ROANOKE, Va. – It was a homecoming only fitting for first time champions.
Parents gathered as the Cave Spring Knights returned home with state gold, capping off an undefeated season under a new coaching regime.
“They’re an incredible group of young ladies,” said head coach Simon French. “Fantastic soccer players. They did the hard work. We had the easy job of being able to guide them and share their success with them.”
In a rematch of last year’s state final with Western Albemarle, Cave Spring knew what to expect. But the Knights had to survive a controversial no-goal call in the first half and two overtimes before eventually finishing things off in PK’s to secure the win.
Timely plays made by Amelia Stoner in goal and Rory Basel among others, Cave Spring’s long term goal was finally checked off.
“What made us able to win was how we relied on our relationships and came together as a team,” Basel said.
The team that only allowed three goals all season, credited its coaches for preparing them for pressure-filled moments during the regular season.
“We obviously had the same goal as last season--to get a state championship,” said Scottie Leonard. “So, obviously we had that mentality to go in and win and I think we proved that during our regular season.”
“Pushing through those games where we don’t really need to kind of helps build our endurance to push through the games where it is tight,” said Abigail Tozier.
With just a handful of seniors, the Knights are hopeful they can remain relevant on the pitch for years to come.
“We definitely made a name for ourselves and we’re just going to keep pushing to get the same goal next year and the year after that and the year after that,” Leonard said.
“They’re hungry for another,” coach French said. “It’s been an incredible day for our region. We’ve had Glenvar Boys with one, Blacksburg Boys with one, Christianburg Boys with one, and we brought it back here to Roanoke as well. So soccer in this area is phenomenal. It’s full of many talented players.”