By Brennan Waldorf –
The Northampton Yellow Jackets girls soccer team finished its season last week, June 19, as runners-up in the Region A Division I Tournament. After defeating the Essex Trojans 17-2 in the opening round, the Jackets advanced to the semifinals where they faced off June 16 against the No. 2-seed Northumberland Indians in Heathsville, Va.
The Indians entered the tournament after going 7-1 in the regular season. The Jackets defeated the Indians 2-1 behind the goals of Daniela Gonzalez and Ryan Jones to advance to the regional finals against West Point High School.
West Point defeated the Jackets 8-0 last weekend for the third time this season. Virginia High School League rules have moved to a winner-take-all scenario this season, as only one team is to advance from each region instead of two and have also eliminated all-regional and state sections, a change that has baffled players, press, and coaches alike. The loss to West Point eliminated Northampton from advancing to the state tournament.
The Jackets finished their season as a top-eight team in the state with a 9-4 record and scored 72 goals while allowing 39. They were led in scoring by Vashti Holmes with 18 goals. Rocio Cruz had 16, Jacqueline Santos had 13, Edith Palacio had 9, Ryan Jones had 6, and Daniela Gonzalez finished with five.
