Two things were motivating the girls varsity soccer team to beat Rockbridge Wednesday night in Lexington. Number one: losing to the Wildcats in penalty kicks last season on their home turf, and number two: the desire to beat head coach Ray Ellington’s former team. But there was a catch: Ellington was not allowed to be on the premises during the game due to a red card garnered in Harrisonburg’s most recent game against Spotswood on April 11.

Prior to the start of the JV game, Ellington made an appearance to talk to assistant coach Kristen Lovell and meet with the team. When the whistle blew, however, Ellington had to go, leaving Lovell and JV head coach Becca Borg in control of the game.

The first half was generally uneventful as the sun set on the field. The Wildcats relied on wing players to cross the ball into the box, but the speed of the Streaks allowed for minimal opportunities for the opposition. Finding their rhythm, the offensive line took multiple shots in the final ten minutes but were unable to record a goal.

Tied 0-0 at the half, Lovell reminded the group of their performance against Rockbridge the previous season. Overcoming a 4-0 deficit after the first 40 minutes of play, the Streaks took it to overtime, eventually losing in PKs in a game that did not affect their region standing. It was with a comeback attitude that the team returned to the pitch for the second half.

Starting with the same lineup they came off with, the Streaks attempted to play balls deep into the corners for wingers, but were still unsuccessful. A breakaway for junior Mayerly Rodriguez-Perez got the ball into the box, and senior Mikaela O’Fallon was able to tap the ball into the goal, putting the Streaks up 1-0.

With 19:46 to play, the Wildcats desperately needed a goal to have a chance at winning. A series of unfortunate calls for the Streaks within the span of a minute gave Rockbridge an indirect kick just off the 18 yard line. Their shot went over the defensive line and directly into the hands of sophomore goalkeeper Amelia Mitchell. The final play had the Wildcats back in the Streaks’ defensive third with a clear shot on goal. Sophomore Amira Lucas fouled an opposing player in the box, which gave the Wildcats one final chance to score on a PK. Rockbridge sophomore Margaret Hellwig took the shot, missing the goal with a curve to the right. The whistle blew, and the Streaks took the win with a final score of 1-0.