Deerfield-Windsor girls dominate Robert Roombs

ALBANY — The Deerfield Windsor girls soccer team wasted no time in grabbing control of the match early and never let up as three Lady Knights scored multiple goals en route to rolling Robert Toombs Christian Academy 9-0 in the first round of the GISA Class AAA girls state tournament.

Haley Kincheloe, Mattie Veilands and Rachel Sullivan each scored two goals to lead the attack.

“We started slow, but we got a couple of goals in,” DWS coach Ally Joslin said. “I thought we put some fantastic crosses in the box. Once we started getting into a rhythm again, we found our rhythm. We got some quality in the final third. I think teams are starting to find it very hard to cope with our numbers.”

Throughout the game, the Lady Knights put constant pressure on RTCA’s back line, taking numerous shots on goal.

Seven minutes into the match, Kincheloe scored the Lady Knights’ first goal off an assist from Parker Morgan. A few minutes later, Veilands scored the first of her two goals to increase the Lady Knights’ lead by two.

Deerfield Windsor got their third goal of the match from Morgan a few minutes later, giving the Lady Knights a 3-0 cushion.

DWS continued to put pressure on the Robert Toombs defense and Kincheloe was able to slip the ball past the RTCA keeper for her second goal and the fourth for the Lady Knights.

Rachel Bonner got in on the act as she scored late in the first half to give DWS a 5-0 halftime lead. Veilands added her second goal in the second half, along with Sullivan’s two goals and a late goal by Sophie Davis to round out the scoring for Deerfield Windsor.

While he’s pleased with the win, Joslin knows stiffer competition awaits his squad next Wednesday as they face the defending state champions in Augusta Prep.

They handed the Lady Knights their only loss of the season, a 5-2 setback on March 13.

“It’s not going to get any tougher than next Wednesday, when we play the state champions,” Joslin said. “I still believe that next Wednesday, the two best teams in the state will be playing against each other. It’s a shame it’s in the second round, but we’ve got a few opportunities to prepare before then just to pick up the speed of play and pick everything up.

“Really, it comes down to the coaches to make sure that we get the team ready.”