Young Stuarts Draft squad making rest of district soccer take note

STUARTS DRAFT — Call it a youth movement. Don't, however, call it a rebuilding year for Stuarts Draft girls soccer. Despite an influx of freshmen, the Cougars are 6-1-2 through April 23, currently in second place in the Shenandoah District.

Stuarts Draft has eight freshmen on its roster, two times more than the next closest team, Wilson, who has four ninth graders. The other seven teams in the district have 11 freshmen combined.

And it's not like the freshmen are just on varsity to watch. In a 3-2 win over Wilson Memorial April 23, Ellie Weatherholtz scored twice and Kendall Clark added the winning goal. Both are freshmen. Alexis Waite, another ninth grader, added an assist. The goalkeeper, Morgan Beauford, who shut out Wilson in the second half, is also just a freshman.

Junior Angela Hibshman said a lot of the younger players had already been on teams together so they were used to playing with one another. This season, those player have done a nice job meshing with the veteran Cougars.

"It's been really nice to get to know and get to use everyone's skills to their abilities," said Hibshman.

And the players aren't easily rattled. Trailing 2-1 to Wilson at halftime, Draft controlled most of the second half.

"I told them they were lucky to only be down 2-1," coach Jess DeWitt said. "We started off the game very slow, just reacting to everything and not anticipating or moving toward the ball, so we were pretty lucky. At halftime the message was we have to win 50-50 balls and every ball after that."

The few chances Wilson did get in the second half, Draft's defense stepped up. DeWitt said she was most impressed with the defensive line. Some of the personnel were switched around after losing a center back, but the players got the job done against Wilson.

Stuarts Draft's Alexis Waite works to control the ball in a match against Wilson Memorial April 23.

Beauford also came up with a couple of beautiful saves to keep Wilson from scoring in the second half. DeWitt had worked with Beauford in volleyball and thought she could make the transition to goalkeeper. She had never played that position until this season.

"Everything she does is natural talent and natural instinct for her," DeWitt said. "We've worked with her, but kudos to her natural ability to find it, see it and get there."