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Spartans make most of second chance
RADFORD -- It would be hard to envision a fiction writer being able to scribe a better finish to the 2008 season for the Broad Run High School girls' soccer team than what actually happened June 6 at Radford University.
Not only did the Spartan players and coaches win their first state high school championship, but they did so against the team that had denied them the same opportunity in 2007.
Courtland High School spoiled Broad Run's bid to win the 2007 Virginia AA championship in the state quarterfinal round. The Cougars defeated the Spartans on penalty kicks, a way in which Broad Run coach Claire Collins described as "the toughest way to go."
Move forward a year and the Spartans were once again threatening to win their first state title since 2001. The only team standing between them and the championship trophy, Courtland, the Spartans' opponent in the state final.
"This team has been prepared since day one," Collins said after a 4-1 victory against Hidden Valley in the state semifinals. "We wanted to play in the state final and we wanted to play Courtland."
The Spartans were not going to be denied this time, netting the championship game's lone goal in the 11th minute and making the lead stand up for a 1-0 victory.
"It's just absolutely amazing," junior Holly King said. "After losing to them last year, this is exactly what we wanted. We wanted to play them again this year, and especially getting to the state final and playing them and beating them is icing on the cake."
"I didn't have to motivate them. Even the freshmen and the players up from J.V. already knew about the history of it," Collins said. "They fed off that. They said, 'We want to face Courtland in the state title game.' And here we are and we did it, and I'm so proud of them."
The victory was extremely rewarding for Kelly Smith and Carina Chavez, the Spartans' lone two seniors.
"We were like, 'We get to come back this year and play the team we lost to last year and actually show them what Broad Run was all about.' It was definitely motivation for us," Smith said. "We were not going to lose to Courtland again; we should have won last year."
Even though Smith and Chavez will be missed, the Spartans should return nearly 90 percent of their roster next season.
"We had all the parts we needed this year," King said. "It's going to stink to have two of our seniors leaving, but hopefully we'll be back."
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