New Covenant captures second NACA boys soccer crown

In the semifinal round of last month’s Virginia Association of Christian Athletics state tournament, New Covenant junior John Thomasson missed the deciding penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to the Southwest Virginia Home Schoolers.

Last Friday in the championship game of the National Athletic Christian Association Division 2 tournament in Dayton, Tenn., Thomasson got a shot at redemption and he delivered, converting the game-winning penalty kick in a 5-4 victory over the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Patriots.

"We went into penalty kicks in the state semifinals and lost it on John Thomasson’s missed penalty kick," New Covenant coach Andy Ashcroft said. "It was really great he was able to finish it off for the national [title]."

The Gryphons (12-6-1), who finished 4-0-1 in the three-day tournament, tying Somerset Christian School (Ky.) 2-2 in the opening game of pool play, and Patriots, an all-star homeschooled team, ended regulation time and overtime deadlocked in a 1-1 tie.

Senior center midfielder Josh Ashcroft, the Gryphons’ assist leader on the season who set up six or seven goals in the tournament, scored New Covenant’s only goal in regulation at the start of the season half and added a penalty kick goal.

"I dribbled down and crossed to the corner and scored with my left foot into the left corner," Josh Ascroft said of his first goal. "There was practically no angle. I’m not sure exactly how it went in."

After Chattanooga tied the game with a breakaway goal with four minutes remaining in regulation, younger brother Caleb Ashcroft, a freshman forward who netted nine goals over the weekend, also converted a PK goal as the Gryphons outscored the Patriots 4-3 in PKs.

"It was a really good combination," Andy Ashcroft said of his sons working together on attack. "Caleb really stepped up in the first game and got into the flow of things and scored a hat trick [in a 4-1 semifinal win over Our Savior New American of Centereach (N.Y.)]. As the games progressed, he got more on fire."

Both were named to the NACA all-tournament team along with Thomasson and junior Jacob Neiderer, who received the best Division 2 goalkeeper award.

New Covenant, which won a Division 3 national title in 2006, recuperated from losing its central midfielder Josh Aultice to an ACL tear in his knee in the opening VACA match against Timberlake Christian, the Gryphons’ only conference loss. They went on to win their next seven VACA games and were deemed South Region champions after defeating TCS 2-0 in the final.

"We had to redo the whole team, but everybody stepped up" Andy Ashcroft said, noting Aultice underwent ACL surgery last week and was unable to make the trip to Dayton. "We were in constant contact with Josh throughout the whole tournament. We came a long way [without him]."