Two goals in the span of three minutes was the difference as the Glenvar girls’ soccer team lost to Poquoson in the state Class 2 semifinal last Friday. The girls lost a 2-0 decision at Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College.
After a tight and physical first half the two teams were scoreless at intermission. Then, at the outset of the second half, Poquoson midfielder Brynn Groseth was able to score twice in the span of three minutes for the only two goals of the game.
“I didn’t notice anything different other than us being a little flat to start the second half,” said Glenvar coach Kyleigh Drew. “Our girls gave everything they absolutely could the whole game.”
Glenvar got a tough break early in the game when junior Avery Steger, a big part of the offense, went out with an injury and did not return. The girls played the 3 pm game and by that time temperatures were in the low 90s and it was a very humid day. Once the Highlanders fell behind that became another factor working against them.
“The heat and humidity played a part,” said Drew. “It’s hard for some girls that typically play the full game to play through that. This year has been a little weird, and I feel like we usually get the opportunity to play in that kind of heat beforehand, but we seemed to not have as many games with that kind of heat this year.”
The Highlanders came into the game on a 17 game winning streak, having not lost since the third game of the season. Poquoson won their final six games of the season, including a 2-1 win over Clarke County Saturday to win the Class 2 championship.
“I would say they were absolutely one of the best teams we played all year,” said Drew of the Islanders. “They came ready to play and were able to play with some physicality that we haven’t seen all season. Not that this was a bad thing, they were able to use their bodies very well to win the ball.”
Glenvar came into the season as the defending Class 2 state champions. They suffered heavy losses from graduation after the 2024 season and started slowly this year, but come April they got on a roll and won Three Rivers District and Region 2C championships. The girls finished with an 18-3 record and Drew’s four-year coaching record is now 74-12-1 with two state championships among four final four appearances.
“We grew a lot all season long and were 100 percent better at the end of the season, mentally and physically,” said Drew. “We gained a lot of confidence the whole season and I’m so incredibly proud of how they grew all year long.”
The Highlanders will lose just four seniors, Davin Tate, Anna Vecellio, Lauren Claud and Brooke Smyth. Among the returnees will be rising sophomore Camryn Stevens, who scored 47 goals in 21 games. Glenvar had seven freshmen and six sophomores on the varsity this season.
“We’re losing four seniors who all started but we have a great group coming back next year with lots of talent,” said Drew. “We’ll be working through each one’s roll for next season and we’re excited for the group we get back. They’re already asking when we start again. They have big goals and we know what we have to do to get back there.”
