Photos by Brian Hoffman
The Lord Botetourt soccer teams will wrap up the regular season this week. Both teams had games scheduled with William Fleming on Tuesday and Northside on Friday and the girls will host E.C. Glass tonight.
The Cavalier boys won two, lost one and tied one last week, including back-to-back shutout wins over Staunton River and William Byrd. After opening the week with a 3-3 tie at home with Heritage the Cavs beat Staunton River, 4-0, in Daleville on Tuesday then edged William Byrd on Friday in Vinton, 1-0.
A balanced offensive attack powered the win over Staunton River as Isaiah Lankford, Jackson Taylor, Paxton Kirby and Isaac Alderman each found the back of the net. LB controlled possession throughout the contest and turned in one of its most complete performances of the season on both ends of the field.
On Friday the Cavaliers earned a gritty win over Byrd in a tightly contested matchup. With under 20 minutes remaining in regulation sophomore Jonah Dunker collected a loose ball inside the scoring area and blasted a shot into the top corner for the game-winning goal.
The busy week concluded Saturday afternoon at home against Graham in an intense back-and-forth battle. Dunker continued his strong week by once again finding the net, helping keep LB in position late in the match. However, in the final 30 seconds of play a Graham player delivered a career highlight moment with a long-range strike that narrowly lifted Graham to a 3-2 victory.
“Despite the heartbreaking finish the team continued to show growth, toughness, and the ability to compete through adversity during one of the busiest stretches of their season,” said coach Tim Wright. “The team’s effort, energy, and willingness to battle through fatigue were evident throughout the week as the team continues preparing for the postseason push.”
The boys come into the week at 6-2 in the Blue Ridge District and 6-6-3 overall. They’re home against Fleming Tuesday and Northside Friday to wrap up the regular season.
The girls come into the week at 4-4 in the district and 7-7 overall after dropping two games last week. The girls lost a close one to Staunton River in Moneta, 1-0, then dropped a 5-3 game to William Byrd in Daleville on Thursday. Kendall Nixon had two goals against Byrd and Reagan Helms had the other. Luci Rock had two assists.
The girls hope to get over .500 to end the regular season this week. After a game at Fleming Tuesday they’ll host E.C. Glass tonight in a non-district game, then wrap up the regular season Friday evening at Northside.
