CCHS soccer streak snapped

Battlefield brought an impressive record to Broman Field Friday night.

The Bobcats were 9-1 before they tangled with the Blue Devils in Friday's boys varsity soccer match.

The Blue Devils, who had won three straight matches, seemed poised to make it competitive.

But solid ball possession and a nearly impenetrable defense paved the way for the Bobcats who won 3-0 and snapped the Blue Devils' winning streak in the process.

"We had decent possession in midfield but we broke down up top," said Culpeper head coach Tim Kearney. "They came up a little short. We didn't play wide enough."

Culpeper, which had won three straight-all by one goal each-with wins over Osbourn, Stonewall Jackson and Fauquier, fell to 5-7 overall and 3-3 in the Cedar Run District.

Carter Mills, who had back-to-back hat tricks in the matches against Stonewall Jackson and Fauquier, wasn't shaken Friday's loss.

"I'm really excited," he said. "We haven't had good seasons the last couple of years and to have five wins and be 3-3 in the district is great. Battlefield is definitely a beatable team. If we win the rest of our games we'll get a chance to play them again."

Mills shrugged off his personal accomplishments with the back-to-back hat tricks.

"The important thing is that we won as a team," he said.
The match against the Bobcats represented the beginning of the second round of action against district opponents. The Bobcats won the first meeting against the Blue Devils, 6-0.
"Our possession was a lot better tonight than it was the first time (we played Culpeper)," said Battlefield head coach Steve Smith. "We had a better effort tonight."

The Bobcats, who improved to 10-1 on the year, have lost only to Osbourn Park this season.

The Yellow Jackets are looking for their fourth straight district title.

"(Against Osbourn Park) it's the mentality," said Smith. "It's a matter of coming out with the right attitude and intensity."

In last night's match, the Blue Devils were without the services of junior midfielder Kyle Masson.

"We were missing him," said Mills. "He's everywhere (when he's on the field)."

"Kyle can be a destructive force in the middle," said Karney. "I thought Cole (Dean) did an outstanding job tonight as essentially a sweeper. He held (the position) real well."

The Bobcats, who seized possession early and throughout most of the match, attempted 13 first-half shots on goal en route to a 1-0 lead at the intermission.

Duke Mensah, a sophomore forward, scored the match's first goal when he took advantage of a rebound and scored in the 5th minute of play.

Culpeper goalie Gabe Werner initially stopped the scoring threat with a save but Mensah gained possession and was there for the put back.

The Blue Devils had no shots on goal in the first half and the closest the team came to firing a shot at the Bobcat goal came in the 13th minute when Mills delivered a crossing pass intended for Christian Benites who was in front of the Bobcat goal but the pass was behind him.

Werner, who Kearney said had "a big game" in the win over Fauquier on Tuesday, recorded nine saves in the first half and finished the match with 11.

In the second half it was more of the same as the Bobcats went back to work and produced positive results when Franco Buzzalino, a sophomore forward, kicked a left-footed shot that found the upper right corner of the net to extend the Battlefield lead to 2-0.

Buzzalino's goal came in the 50th minute.

Just two minutes later, the Bobcats added another goal when Brendan Shaffer, a senior midfielder, connected in the 52nd minute to complete the scoring.

Finding the Battlefield defense tough to penetrate, the Blue Devils had an offensive opportunity in the 61st minute following a yellow card to Battlefield's Reid McKee, which resulted in a direct kick for Culpeper.

Bram Sims took the shot but Battlefield goalie Michael Hinkle was there for the save.

Smith went to his bench with 17 minutes remaining in regulation.

Culpeper's Will Orr took his team's second and final shot on goal, which came in the 73rd minute but Hinkle was there for his second save.

Kearney left Broman Field with good reason for optimism.

"We can play with (Battlefield)," he said. "I told the guys that I didn't think that they believe that. (Jonathan) Wilkerson came out strong for us at fullback and I think we'll be okay. This is a lot more fun than last year."

The Blue Devils return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Osbourn to play the Eagles. This is the second and last meeting between the two teams during the regular season.

Culpeper won the first encounter, 3-2, at Broman Field.
Notes: Visiting Battlefield defeated Culpeper 6-0 Friday night. The Bobcats improved to 8-1-2 on the season.

Mark O'Connell can be contacted at