13-06-2025
South County, Independence advance to Virginia girls' soccer finals
RICHMOND — As she lined up for an indirect free kick just outside of the box early in Friday's Virginia Class 6 semifinal, South County junior midfielder Reese Brodrick aimed to send in a simple cross. But senior Lexi Arnott had other plans.
Arnott ran in and tapped the ball back toward Brodrick, who struck it from a tough angle into the far top corner of the net. The 17th-minute strike, and an afternoon of stout defense, delivered South County a 1-0 win over reigning champion Freedom (South Riding) Friday and sent the No. 5 Stallions to their first state championship game since winning a title in 2021.
'[Freedom] heard me say I was gonna cross it basically, so I think that caught them off guard,' Brodrick said. 'I didn't even think [Arnott] could come, and then she did it.'
The Stallions will face Deep Run in the Class 6 final on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Glen Allen High School. The Wildcats defeated Yorktown, 2-0, in the other Class 6 semifinal Friday.
Freedom held more possession in its game, particularly in the second half. But clean looks were hard to come by. South County has not lost a game since April 3, and have only conceded four goals in the 14 matches since.
'I'm really proud of my defensive unit," Coach Darryl Springer said. 'They really know how to work with and for each other, and I think that was the difference today. [Freedom] was coming and we had to sustain wave after wave after wave, and the cool, calm and collective poise of the defense allowed us to.'
Springer became South County's head coach just a few weeks before this season started. He was the Stallions' junior varsity coach last year and spent some time around the varsity team. That familiarity helped with transition, but there was still a learning curve. Now, a few months after the year started with a bit of uncertainty, the Stallions have reached the final day of the season.
'In the beginning, I don't think we expected at all to come this far, but I think we've just come together as a team,' senior defender Paisley Sullivan said. 'We work so well together."
Freedom ended its season at 18-3-2, a strong record after the program graduated three quarters of its scoring production from last year's title team, including All-Met Player of the Year Addy Hess.
'Had we all looked around at each other on Feb. 21 for tryouts and thought that we'd be in the position that we are, we probably all would have had a good laugh at that,' Eagles coach Chris Campbell said.
In the second game of the Class 6 doubleheader, No. 9 Yorktown entered halftime locked in a scoreless tie. The Patriots (16-4) weren't able to get their wingers involved as much as they would've liked, partly because of a narrower field, Coach Hannah Davis said.
'Deep Run's a great team. They played competitive, physical. We definitely had some chances, we just couldn't finish. But I'm super proud of this team, they played their hearts out,' Davis said.
Independence, Woodgrove, Loudoun County advance
In Class 5, top-ranked Independence beat Ocean Lakes, 5-2. Senior Jayden Fisher scored twice, and senior Lilli Lubic netted her 30th goal of the year.
The undefeated Tigers, who fell in last year's semifinal after winning a state title in 2023, will face Kellam on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Deep Run High School.
Woodgrove (13-8-1) coupled a strong defensive effort with goals from senior Liala Berg, sophomore Ryan Gonzalez, and junior Savannah Mangold to beat Jamestown, 3-0, in the Class 4 semifinal.
The Wolverines will face Loudoun County, 1-0 winners over Atlee, in Saturday's championship game at 9 a.m. at Monticello High School.
Loudoun County freshman Claire Engelberger scored an overtime goal to give her team the win. The Captains (21-0-1) have played Woodgrove four times this spring, with three wins and a draw.
In the Class 3 bracket, Brentsville District fell in penalty kicks, 4-3, after a scoreless tie with Cave Spring.
