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Rams win fifth state title under Rike
When Battlefield senior Jessica Jewell received a through ball from teammate Alyson Shaughnessy and fired home a shot with 14:21 to play in Saturday's Virginia AAA state championship game, it could've spelled doom for the Robinson girls soccer team. Instead, the Rams used the 1-0 deficit as a wake-up call.
After looking sluggish for much of the game, which was played in near 100-degree temperatures, Robinson responded just 23 seconds later when sophomore Stephanie Johnson -- who started the game for injured forward Audrey Barry -- deflected home a Jensen Smith cross to knot the score at 1-1.
"We were down last game," said senior goalkeeper Katherine Yount, who made several key saves to keep the Rams in the game. "I knew we would come back. They just needed someone to slap them in the face and wake them up a little bit."
The score remained tied at the end of regulation and through eight minutes of overtime before junior LeighAnne Baxter fired a left-footed blast from the top of the box that eluded the Battlefield keeper and gave Robinson a 2-1 victory and the fifth state title under coach Jim Rike.
"It’s great," Rike said. "When you set a goal at the beginning of the year and reach that goal, it’s a very rewarding feeling."
For Yount, one of four seniors on this Rams team, it was a perfect way to end a stellar career.
"I don't believe it," she said. "I'm really proud, it was a team effort. They knew I wanted it. It was my last game as a high school player. They were saying, 'Do it for the seniors.' It really means a lot."
With 17 players -- including nine starters -- returning next year, Robinson is in a favorable position to follow in the footsteps of the 2006-2007 Lake Braddock Bruins and repeat as state champions.
"Every year there’s more and more parity in the region, there’s more and more parity around the state," Rike said. "We lose two key components. We’ll have nine starters coming back, but we’ll lose Katherine in goal and we lose [Kristen Smith] up top. We’ll be good. We’ll be strong. Whether we’ll repeat, who knows?"
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