Lynchburg, Va. -

     It seems that every goal the Altavista Lady Colonels varsity soccer team sets, they accomplish.

     After an undefeated regular season as a club team in the spring of 2011, the program gained varsity status during the offseason and entered the Dogwood District this season. In just their inaugural year, the Lady Colonels swept regular season district play to earn their first Dogwood District regular season title and #1 seed heading into the 2012 District Tournament.

     Behind a three goal performance from Dogwood District Player of the Year, Madeline McCracken, Altavista shutout Dan River in the semifinals and advanced to the District Championship against Appomattox this past Friday.

     Having rarely faced adversity all season long, the squad fell behind early in the Championship game and entered halftime trailing, 1 – 0.

     The program then went on a tear, scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to bring home their first District Championship. Ryan Hedgpeth, two goals, and Hannah Heimer, one goal, led the way for Altavista while Kayla Haley, who is playing goalie for the first time this season, registered 11 vital saves.

     A District Title was not the only honor the program garnered this past weekend, as Altavista also had nine players awarded All-District Honors. District Player of the Year, McCracken, received First Team Honors along with Ryan Hedgpeth, Hannah Heimer and Sydney Niblett. Katie Hines and Sarah Hedgpeth each earned second team honors while Haley, Chelsea Robinson and Megan Wilkes earned Honorable Mention.

     Now, it’s on to the next one for the Lady Colonels (12 – 2 – 1 / 10 – 0) as they welcome Bluestone High School this evening for the Regional Quarterfinals. The Lady Colonels will look to build off their first fifteen games, in which they outscored their opponents 59 – 27. Tonight’s contest, at Altavista High School, is set for 6 pm.