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Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 89F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 64F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: June 19, 2024 @ 10:13 am
The Brentsville High girls soccer team won their second consecutive Class 3 state championship in beating Western Albemarle 2-1 in overtime in the state final on June 8 at Monticello High near Richmond.
Senior Peyton McGovern scored both of Brentsville’s goals in the state final, including the winner in overtime.
Sophomore forward Riley Coombs (No. 21) earned all-Class 3 second team honors this season.
The Brentsville High girls soccer team won their second consecutive Class 3 state championship in beating Western Albemarle 2-1 in overtime in the state final on June 8 at Monticello High near Richmond.
When you score the game-winning goal late in a state championship game, you become immortalized within your community forever. When you do it back-to-back years, maybe they should consider building a statue of you.
Brentsville High senior Peyton McGovern doesn’t yet have a bronze bust in her likeness in Nokesville, but the Tigers’ midfielder is nothing short of a living legend in the school’s sports annals.
McGovern rolled in a breathtaking goal last year in the Class 3 girls soccer title game to beat Lafayette 1-0. Again, with her team needing offense, McGovern one-upped herself against Western Albemarle at Monticello High on June 8.
Trailing 1-0 late, McGovern converted a penalty kick to force overtime, then hammered home a 30-yard strike to beat the Warriors 2-1 and lead the Tigers to their second straight state title.
The Florida State recruit finished the season with 32 goals and 26 assists and was named the Class 3 Player of the Year for the second year in a row. McGovern is the Tigers’ all-time leader in goals (91) and assists (75).
“Peyton’s great with the ball at her foot and if you back off her, she’ll pop one from distance. I don’t know why I’m surprised by it, she does it all the time, but you’re just in awe sometimes of how she comes up so big in such big moments,” coach Scott Kerns said.
“The fact that she played is amazing. Kids that commit to schools at that level, a lot of time you don’t see them play high school soccer. I’m so appreciative of her commitment,” Kerns added.
Senior Peyton McGovern scored both of Brentsville’s goals in the state final, including the winner in overtime.
Now two-time defending state champs, Brentsville finished 19-2-1 after going 22-1 and winning their first state title since 2003 last season.
“It’s an incredible blend of kids that played huge roles last year and a lot of kids that didn’t play much of a role that had to step in and play well and play better than they probably have ever played for us. We had so many kids that filled spots at such a high level,” said Kerns, the Class 3 Coach of the Year.
Along with McGovern, senior defenders Savannah Vonderhaar and Madilyn Rolader, junior goalie Haley Garber and sophomore midfielder Aubrey Earman earned all-state first team honors, with sophomore forward Riley Coombs on the second team.
The game was a rematch of an April 9 contest that Western Albemarle won 1-0. This time, Brentsville was better prepared for the Warriors’ dangerous attack, keyed by University of Tennessee commit Reese Mattern.
“Playing them was invaluable because you can watch a team like that on film, but I don’t think you get the true sense of the speed they play at and the athleticism of the kids on the field,” Kerns said. “We weren’t going to be surprised stepping on the field with how athletic, strong and how great they were in the air.”
Throughout the first 20 minutes, Brentsville “absorbed a lot of pressure” as Western Albemarle surged behind Mattern, who found the back of the net in the 32nd minute on a looping shot from roughly 40 yards out along the left sideline for a 1-0 lead.
Brentsville found their rhythm halfway through the first as the Tigers began creating opportunities but still couldn’t find a goal. McGovern had a good look on a direct kick that was saved and had another shot drill the post before her late penalty kick.
“We had some balls that were played in behind that were just a little heavy and we couldn’t get on the other end of them,” said Kerns, who liked the position the Tigers were in despite trailing. “I just felt if we could get to halftime at 1-0 and talk to the girls about some adjustments we needed to make, I felt we were in pretty good shape.”
Sophomore forward Riley Coombs (No. 21) earned all-Class 3 second team honors this season.
Down 1-0 with 20 minutes remaining, the Tigers were forced to pick up the aggressiveness by sending a fourth attacker forward, and with just under four minutes left on the clock, they finally found a goal.
A hard tackle on the edge of the box by a Western Albemarle defender gave McGovern a penalty kick that she calmly chipped into the top right corner to tie the game at 1-1 and force overtime.
“That kid has put so much on her shoulders as far as the success we’ve had offensively that I had no doubt in my mind that she wasn’t going to get overwhelmed in that moment and put the ball away,” said Kerns.
Less than eight minutes of gameplay later, McGovern received the ball in the middle of the field from Reese Natysin, took one dribble forward and stepped into a sensational 30-yard strike that perfectly picked the top right corner, sneaking by the outstretched right arm of goalie Elana Romesburg to put Brentsville ahead 2-1 halfway through the first of two 5-minute overtime periods.
“It gets to the point of the game you have to talk to these seniors about the most disappointing moment, probably in their high school career, and then all of the sudden in eight minutes of gameplay you’re up 2-1 and trying to figure out how to win the game. It’s crazy,” Kerns said.
Immediately after McGovern’s goal, the Tigers dropped a fifth defender back and ran out the final seven minutes of overtime to win their second consecutive Class 3 state title.
“The emotional turn of creeping down in time and being down a goal to all of the sudden being tied, then quickly hitting a go-ahead goal and being able to play the game out and get to the final, I think there might have been a little bit of shock and disbelief,” said Kerns, who treated the Tigers to ice cream on the bus ride home from Charlottesville.
Reach Matthew Proctor at mproctor@fauquier.com
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