Girls soccer: Norfolk Academy nears state title

NORFOLK

Replacing a team’s top two scorers and defenders seems a tall task for most coaches.

But Norfolk Academy girls soccer coach Rich Peccie just needed to do a little rearranging.

Among his 22-player roster were 14 returners – eight of whom played significant minutes last season as the Bulldogs won a third Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I championship in four years.

“I knew we would be pretty solid and we had the personnel to fill those roles,” Peccie said.

Norfolk Academy (14-3-1) rebounded from an early 3-0 loss to Cox and is two victories from another private school state title. The top-seeded Bulldogs play No. 4 seed St. Catherine’s in today’s semifinals at Ukrop Park in Richmond. Bishop Sullivan Catholic faces Collegiate School in today’s other Division I semifinal.

For Norfolk Academy, Peccie’s adjustments worked. The Bulldogs have won 13 consecutive games and outscored their past eight opponents 51-1.

“From day one, it’s been always about the team,” junior Holley Beasley said. “Every single person contributes – there’s a lot of versatility on the team. That’s what makes us dangerous.”

Beasley, a midfielder, leads the team in scoring with 25 goals and 10 assists, while junior Liz Affronti has 14 goals and 22 assists after moving from midfield to forward.

Kelley Smith and Rachel Shapiro moved from midfield to attack, while Dani Johnson, who had 12 goals last season at forward, dropped back to solidify the defense.

“We knew all along it wasn’t a one-person team,” Beasley said. “I love the way our team is so strong. It’s hard for opponents to strategize against us.”

What surprised Peccie was how quickly the team developed chemistry.

“The older players accepted the new players immediately and we’ve settled earlier than any team I’ve coached,” Peccie said. “It’s enabled us to work on other things. We haven’t had to focus on team building. We’ve just been able to focus on soccer.”

“In the past, there have been problems with people wanting attention,” senior Virginia Lascara said. “There’s no jealousy of any sort.”

But whether it’s discussing tactics in pre game talks or simple high-fives in the hallway between classes, that nurturing from the Bulldogs’ upperclassmen has been a welcome presence.

“When I first tried out, I was worried about being one of the few girls from the lower school,” said freshman Riley Tata, who has 18 goals and nine assists. “They talk to you about everything; they’ve been there before. I know when I’m a senior, I’ll be best friends with all the underclassmen.”