For the third year in a row the Lord Botetourt girls saw their only loss end their soccer season. This year it was Western Albemarle who ended LB’s undefeated season with a 2-0 win over the Cavaliers at Western Albemarle High in Crozet in the Region 3A West semifinal.

“Western Albemarle was our toughest opponent of the season,” said LB coach Giuseppe D’Arpa. “They were a very physical, talented and fast team. There’s a reason why they have made it to the state semis the last two years.”

The Cavaliers could ill afford to make mistakes against the Warriors, and one miscue was costly.

“We made a careless mistake which ended up costing us,” said D’Arpa. “It put us behind for the first time this season and it was hard for us to recover.”

The loss ended LB’s season one win away from a trip to the state championship, finishing 19-1. The Cavaliers are 55-3-1 over the past three years and twice have been one win away from the state final four.

LB last made the state final four in 2014, when the current seniors were freshmen, to give the team an overall record of 73-5-3 over the past four years. Lord Botetourt is undefeated during the regular season in the past four years, with four of their five losses coming in the regional tournament and one in the state semifinal.

“I’m very proud of the girls,” said D’Arpa. “We had a great season. We got better and faster with each game we played.”

Botetourt will graduate eight seniors, Sara Bane, Hannah Bane, Emily D’Arpa, Catherine Booth, Hallie Catron, Madison Lantz, Hannah Leonard and Alex Heck.

“They all have contributed to our success,” said coach D’Arpa. “They will leave some big voids to fill for next season. We have a great jayvee program that my coaching staff and I try and develop to get ready for the next season. We will regroup in the off season, learn from our mistakes and compete again next season.”