The Redemption Tour is what Collegiate Women's Soccer called the VISAA Division I Championship on Saturday.
The last time the Cougars' senior class played in the state title game as freshmen was a 1-0 loss to St. Catharines. The sophomores lost 2-0 to Norfolk Academy in the semifinals.
Last year, the college season ended at the hands of Trinity Christian (Fairfax) in the semifinals.
The Cougars (20-2) got revenge Saturday night, defeating the Griffins (19-1) 3-0 behind two goals from Ava Babic at Ukrop Park.
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“We outplayed them. We deserved to win,” University coach Rob Ukrop said. “We're not going to shy away from it. We played really well.”
Senior midfielder and captain Kenley Campbell added: “It means a lot to beat them in the final after losing to them last year. I thought, 'Yes,''' he said. We're not going to forgive them.
“I have never been happier and this is the first time I have won a state championship in any sport.”
This matchup was clearly a matchup between the best of the best, with both players coming into the match with 19 straight wins. The Griffins were undefeated, but the Cougars dropped their first two games of the season to Deep Run and Western Albemarle.
The university was plagued by injuries throughout the year, resulting in four freshmen and one eighth-grader starting from the state finals.
“They're resilient. If you would have told us that before the season, we wouldn't have believed you,” said Ukrop, who led the varsity boys soccer team to a state title in the fall.
“In team training, we spend a lot of time promoting team spirit and camaraderie and understanding that no matter what your role is, the young women are next.”
University started the game well, dominating the ball for most of the opening period, but Trinity Christian struck back with some momentum of its own in the rain-filled first half.
Neither team had any great chances, but the best chance came after Campbell played in midfield and fed the ball to Abbey Craig, whose cross was stopped.
Campbell's impact was felt in the center of the pitch. Ukrop called her the Cougars' “heartbeat” and showed her strong performance in her game, which was her final game in college.
“It means the world (to me). It means a lot to finish my high school career with a win,” Campbell said.
Ms Campbell, who is engaged to William & Mary, wore a face mask after breaking her nose and requiring surgery. She came back 3 weeks later and she became dominant.
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Uklop praised Campbell's play and the play of Anna Tornabene in midfield as major reasons for their side conceding so few goals at the end of the season.
After a quiet first half that ended scoreless, University controlled the game for most of the second period and began to create chances in front of goal.
The Cougars were just one point away from reversing the game. That's when Babic, a ninth-grader, scored his first goal in the 55th minute, smashing it into the top left corner of the net to break the deadlock.
Five minutes later, Babic ran up the pitch on a fast break and fired another missile to extend the lead to two points.
“She's tough,” Ukrop said of Babic, who did not start in the early part of the season. “Every day she got a little better and we thought, 'We have to play against her.' She was dominant the whole time.
The Cougars kept the pressure on as the Griffins needed a second-half rally.
Presley Garst received a pass in the box, turned and fired a shot right into the middle of the goal for the best goal. Collegiate finished with four corners to Trinity Christian's first corner.
Trinity Christian has lost just twice in the past three years, both at the hands of the university side.
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