Hornets honor late teammate with title

Boys soccer: Charlottesville at Orange

Date published: 5/18/2007

By Jim McConnell

BY JIM McCONNELL

With just two words, "For Joe," the simple white T-shirts spoke volumes about Orange's motivation heading into last night's Jefferson District boys soccer regular-season title showdown against Charlottesville.

Orange's players made up the shirts as a tribute to teammate Joe Stanley, a junior who died in an automobile accident Mar. 31. They've worn them under their jerseys ever since, gaining resolve from the knowledge that they were playing for a higher purpose.

Last night, the Hornets honored Stanley's memory on the field, overcoming a 2-1 halftime deficit by scoring three unanswered goals on a rain-soaked surface at Porterfield Park. The 4-2 victory gives Orange (13-2-1 overall, 10-1-1 district) the top seed for next week's district tournament and also secures an automatic berth into the Region II playoffs.

"When Joe passed, we all knew it was going to be really hard," junior co-captain Ben Freeman said, tears filling his eyes. "He was a good friend for a long time. We played the whole season for him and I know we made him proud."

In what has been a season of remarkable highs and lows for Orange, last night's game was no different.

The Hornets jumped on top when sophomore Matt Cronin came off the bench and scored with 24:50 left in the first half.

But after being dominated for most of the opening 40 minutes, Charlottesville capitalized on a pair of defensive breakdowns. Hal Smith and Will Gallop scored goals just 2:13 apart as the Black Knights led at the intermission.

Then, as the teams jogged back onto the field for the start of the second half, something special happened. Just as it had April 2 against Fluvanna, Orange's first game after Stanley's accident, it started to rain.

More than a few Hornets looked skyward and figured Stanley was once again sending them some inspiration.

"You had to know Joe. He gave 110 percent every time he stepped on the field and we knew he'd want us to give everything we had," Orange goalkeeper Joe Morrison said.

Gillan started the Hornets' comeback with a remarkable 30-yard blast about 12 minutes into the second half. Colin Lawson added the eventual game-winner five minutes later, then Cronin provided some insurance with his second goal.

"They've just been an incredible bunch of boys," Orange coach Mike Howes said. "They did what they had to do tonight and I'm really proud of them."

CHARLOTTESVILLE 2 ORANGE 4

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Date published: 5/18/2007