COLUMN: Dad’s save sets stage for sweep

The biggest save on an ultra-rare girls, boys Friday night soccer doubleheader at Waynesboro came before the center judge even blew his whistle. And, no surprise, here, it came from a Garber.
John Garber, that is.
The father of Little Giant freshman keeper Kate Garber ran onto the field seconds before the start of the girls game against Rockbridge to deliver a giant missing piece of the team’s puzzle — Kate’s other goalie glove. Dad was on his way back from Richmond on business and got a call from his daughter asking if he could stop at the house and retrieve her other glove.
“I told her I was barely going to make it,” John Garber said with a laugh. “So I had to drive home, pick up the glove and head back out here.”
He found it in the garage and just in the knick of time.
“I usually come prepared,” said the baby-faced keeper.
Dad’s save was symbolic of the night and started a trend.
Garber, in her first full game back from a concussion that literally knocked her out of action for two weeks, looked nothing like the 4-year-old scared kid with a pocket full of grains at the petting zoo one expects from a freshman keeper.
Instead, she looked like a seasoned veteran, corralling eight Rockbridge shots as the Little Giants beat the Wildcats 6-0 for their second shutout in as many nights against the Wildcats.
“As a freshman staring in her first varsity season, we’re particularly happy [with her],” said Waynesboro coach Robin Hersey.
Garber, who wowed the crowd by deflecting a shot off her knees while sliding on them, only started the fun. At 7:30 p.m., the Little Giant boys took the field, and Sam Crickenberger didn’t disappoint.
The junior keeper stopped seven Rockbridge shots. Only two came in the first half, but by that point his offense had already staked him a 5-0 lead. The boys went on to win 8-0, making for a historic night of sorts. In back-to-back games for the first time on the Giants’ young pitch, both teams clamped down for shutouts.
“You know,” said boys coach Bill Meicke, “I didn’t even think of that.”
Hersey pointed out another milestone of the evening, which also happened to be the Little Giant girls’ senior night — a goal by the just-off-the-injured-list Kristin Berrang.
Coming off a broken ankle suffered days before the Group AA indoor track meet, Berrang made immediate impacts since her return four games ago. She netted three assists against Wilson Memorial in her second match back and two more Tuesday against Stuart Draft.
It was only fitting that, in her final home game, the senior who admitted she would rather help someone else score than push one in the net herself, would kick the ball to the back of the net.
“What a way to go out,” Hersey said. “We’re very happy for her.”
He smiled the whole time he talked about the goal — a quick putback off a Taylor Sayre kick that bounced off the crossbar.
Her parents, sitting atop the terraced grass “stands,” were all smiles and she turned away from the net and was met by hugs and high fives from her teammates.
“It was a great way to have a last home game,” she said. “I was surprised, I really don’t score a lot. I was shocked and smiling. It was great.
“To go out with a goal is really special for me,” she said through a smile that stretched her face so tight it turned red. “I’m really glad I got it.”
The Waynesboro boys got plenty of goals with Alex Farrington’s marker less than three minutes in provided Crickenberger and the defense in front of him with all they would need to score the win. But Baur Alibekov (two goals), Martin Mandujano (two goals), Blaine Sledge, Zac Wells and Orlando Marin all joined the mix.
For the girls, after Berrang’s put-a-smile-on-everybody’s-face goal, Bree Simonsen lifted a floater into the net to open the second half with Kylene Kerby and Vicki Andersen rounding out the scoring before the boys rounded out the perfect night for Waynesboro.
“The defense helps out a lot,” Crickenberger said. “They played real well.”
And just think, freshman Kate Garber got it all started. Thanks to her dad.