Turner Ashby tops boys soccer team in semifinal

By Laura Clark

Published: June 4, 2008

The intensity and controlled ball movement the Lancers displayed in their quarterfinal win against Alleghany never consistently emerged in their 4-0 loss the following night to Turner Ashby in the Region III semifinal match on May 27. Turner Ashby had a bye on May 26.

“It’s the first really humid nights we’ve had back-to-back, and we played on both of them,” Lancer coach Tom McBride said. “These guys were drained.”

The Knights worked the field with ease from the whistle, as Amherst struggled to play aggressively and gain possession.

Turner Ashby jumped ahead early, scoring in the 18th minute. Chris Hulse headed Omar Vazquez’s long throw in past Lancer keeper Andrew Bray.

The Lancers nearly answered less than a minute later off a similar play. Ryan Pigg connected with Ellis Turner’s throw in, but his header was just wide of the goal.

In the 22nd minute, Hulse scored on another header, this time off Robert Blackwell’s 40-yard free kick.

“We came out, I guess, not motivated as much as we wanted to be tonight,” senior Matt McGinn said. “We didn’t get into a rhythm until about the end of the first half. We were already two, three goals down, and it was hard to find the motive and intensity to come back.”

Hulse picked up his third goal in the 27th minute, trapping Jay Shearer’s cross into the box with his chest and nailing the volley into the net.

Amherst players were frustrated by then, and a few hung their heads as the Knights seemed to step in front of every Lancer pass. McGinn switched with defender Leif Aagaard, who brought some spirit to the midfield and set up a few offensive attacks with Jon Ascencio and Pigg.

The Knights made sure Amherst didn’t come back in the second half, scoring a quick goal off a Lancer goal kick. Rafael Arellano took possession and passed to a wide-open Hulse in the center. Hulse broke Turner Ashby’s school record for goals scored in a single season by two against Amherst. His fourth goal of the night was his 26th on the season.

“Wherever the ball was, there he was, and he was finishing,” McBride said. “We didn’t have an answer.”

Amherst kept at it through the final 20 minutes. Turner had back-to-back shots saved by keeper Tyler Martin. With just three minutes left, Jared Proffitt found a loose ball in the Knights’ penalty box, but his shot hit the crossbar.

“We had the chances and we couldn’t finish,” Ascencio said.

He said the team just didn’t have the mental game, and that affected their touches on the ball. Turner Ashby knocked Amherst players off the ball frequently.

“They’re going to hit you, and you’re going to hit them,” he said. “You’ve got to be positive about things and keep playing.”

The Lancers finished the season with a 12-8-1 overall record.