Mustangs finally stop Warriors

Monticello’s victory Thursday night over Jefferson District rival Western Albemarle wasn’t just another win for the Mustangs. The 1-0 triumph marked the first time a Monticello girls soccer team has beaten the Warriors during the six-year tenure of coach Jessie Wright.

“This is the first time I’ve beaten Western as a coach,” Wright said. “I think we’ve tied them a few times, but this is a big win.”

While a win against Western had been a long time coming for Wright and the Mustangs, it was a newcomer to the program that provided the one-goal margin of victory for Monticello.

After the two teams played to a scoreless tie at halftime, freshman forward Melanie Taylor finally found the net for MHS, taking a feed from junior midfielder Keara Dunnington before lofting a shot from the left side of the box over the outstretched arms of Western goalkeeper Lexy Eckerle nine minutes into the second half.

“I had missed a shot in the first half and I wanted to redeem myself. Making that shot made me feel amazing,” said Taylor, who is actually more accustomed to playing defense. “I’m a defender for my club team in the fall and I stepped up because we were lacking in forwards. I guess it was a good move.”

Wright is glad she decided to try out the youngster at forward.

“That was a big goal from a freshman who told me that she used to play defense, so I decided to switch some things up and she’s doing great,” Wright said of Taylor.

Monticello also got a strong performance from junior goalkeeper Aileen Beringer, who came up with nine saves on the night including back-to-back stops late in the first half.

Western Albemarle put nine shots on goal and took four corner kicks but never got a quality chance to draw even in the second half. The Warriors’ best scoring opportunity came late in the second half when Ashley Suttle nearly squeaked a shot by Beringer with less than five minutes to play before the MHS keeper corralled the ball and saved the win for the Mustangs.

“We just came out flat in the first half,” said Western Albemarle coach Lesly Gourdet. “We tried to pick it up in the second half and we created some opportunities but we couldn’t finish, unfortunately.”

Monticello seemed quicker to the 50-50 balls throughout the game, thanks largely to the play of senior center midfielder Erin Cersley, who will play for the University of Alabama next season. Cersley controlled the action at midfield and directed her squad with timely passes and hard tackles.

Monticello (2-0-2, 2-0 JD) will be back in action on Monday when Fluvanna County visits the Mustangs at 7 p.m. Western Albemarle (2-4, 0-2) hosts Charlottesville on Monday at 6:30 p.m.