Woodgrove ousts Salem in girls soccer semifinals

>RADFORD - Sarah Hardison had a long way to run if she wanted to get to the ball served from the midfield. A defender had a jump on her, and even if she somehow won the race, Hardison still would have to beat the goalie.

None of it mattered.

"I saw it go over, and I was like, 'I just have to try,'" Hardison said. "Then I just ran as hard as I could because I really wanted to score."

In a play that epitomized the size and speed mismatch in this game, Hardison flashed to the ball and pounded it into the net in the 63rd minute to give Woodgrove a three-goal edge, and the Wolverines went on to defeat Salem 6-1 on Saturday in the Group AA girls soccer semifinals at Radford University.

"She's a very good player," Salem midfielder Anna Hakkenberg said. "We really weren't expecting the speed. We had a lot of young players in the back who are still kind of getting their foot in the door and getting used to the speed of the play, how fast things are here and how physical it is."

Hardison, who will play next season at George Mason, is one of six Division I signees on the Wolverines (17-5-1). The third-year school features 11 seniors and nine juniors.

Contrast that with Salem, which started four of the eight freshmen on its roster, and it was a recipe for trouble for the Spartans (17-3-2).

"I feel like it was a good experience, especially for all the freshmen," Salem defender Kim Migliarese said. "Now they know how much to work for, how hard it is to get here and how hard it is once you are here. It's not a regular district team, walking-in-the-park kind of thing. I feel like it's a great experience for them, and hopefully they can get back a couple years to come."

Woodgrove took control immediately, getting goals from Brittany Basinger and Ashley Bonner in the first six minutes to stagger the Spartans.

"I don't think we ever recovered," Salem coach Josh Jones said. "Whether it was nerves, or just them jumping on us right away, or whatever it is, I don't think we ever recovered from it."

The Spartans did keep the rest of the half scoreless until the 39th minute, when Bonner struck again on a cross from Victoria Perry.

"When we first came to the state tournament, it was a little intimidating to be in this arena," said Woodgrove coach Erin Barrett, who's steered her team to the final four all three years the program has existed. "Last year, they were hungry, and now they've been here."

Hakkenberg scored on a penalty kick in the 51st minute to make it 3-1 and provide some hope for Salem.

The Spartans pushed some players forward to try to make one last run, but Woodgrove capitalized the other way, ending Salem's first state semis appearance since 2009.

"We were so close as a team," Hakkenberg said. "It wasn't about who started, how long you played, where you played or who scored the goals. You were just excited to be out here with a group of girls that just worked so well together. We really played for each other."

Weather Journal

7 hours ago

1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County 

2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day

3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys

4. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football 

5. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping 

6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen

7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust

8. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank

9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli 

10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible