Fairfax Senior Captain Shannon Cosgrove was named MVP of the Herndon Invitational. Photo by Craig Sterbutzel.
Herndon — After the Fairfax field hockey team had captured the Herndon Invitational championship, Senior Captain Shannon Cosgrove, recipient of the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, was asked if the Rebels’ accomplishments—past and present—have placed a target on the team’s back.
"Yeah, but we like that," she said. "…I think it puts some good pressure on us."
In 2012, "good" pressure has led to good results for the Rebels.
Fairfax defeated Herndon, 4-0, on Sept. 15 to win the Herndon Invitational and improve to 10-0 on the season. The Rebels, winners of the last three Liberty District championships, defeated West Potomac, Yorktown, Wakefield and the Hornets en route the tournament title, outscoring their opponents 17-0 during the two-day event at Herndon High School. Through 10 games this year, Fairfax outscored its opponents 37-1.
Fairfax is continuing to thrive despite graduation losses that reached double digits.
"It’s nice to be playing your best hockey as you head into districts," Head Coach Amber Beaudoin said. "We really just need to solidify our defense and really just keep playing at a high level all the time."
Fairfax defeated West Potomac, 5-0, and Yorktown, 4-0, during the first day of the tournament on Sept. 14. Against West Potomac, forward/midfielder Cosgrove led the Rebels with a pair of goals. Sophomore forward Charlotte Duke, junior defender Sara Allen and senior midfielder Amanda Blackwell each scored once. Against Yorktown, sophomore forward/midfielder Cori Black, junior forward Emily Freeman, sophomore midfielder Trisha Le and Cosgrove each scored a goal.
Fairfax beat Wakefield, 4-0, on Sept. 15. Cosgrove scored twice for the Rebels, and senior forward Nikki Strickland and Allen each added a goal.
In the championship game, Freeman scored twice, and Cosgrove and sophomore midfielder Katie Buchen each had a goal.
Cosgrove scored a team-high six goals and contributed two assists during the tournament. She led Fairfax with 13 goals through 10 games and was tied for second with six assists.
Freeman had six goals and four assists during the 10-0 start.
"Emily just came out of nowhere," Beaudoin said. "She’s a junior. She was the last player off our bench last year and now she’s turned it around, which is a great thing to have—when…something clicks inside [a player’s] head and they just start playing out of their mind, which is what she’s been doing."
Senior midfielder Sam Zelenack, a captain, had five goals and three assists through 10 games, and Allen had three goals and a team-high 10 assists.
Goalkeepers Mackenzie Anderson (eight saves), a sophomore, and Shelby Allen (five saves), a senior, combined to allow just one goal in 10 games.
Cosgrove, Zelenack and Freeman were named to the all-tournament team.
Herndon Finishes Runner-Up
A new head coach and a pair of goal-scoring sophomores have helped propel the Herndon field hockey team to a 6-3 record and a strong showing at its own tournament.
The Hornets finished runner-up at the Herndon Invitational, losing to Fairfax 4-0 in the championship game on Sept. 15 at Herndon High School. Herndon split its four games during the two-day event, beating Battlefield and Washington-Lee, and losing to Marshall and Fairfax.
While Marshall finished the event undefeated, including a victory against the Hornets, Herndon reached the championship game based on the event’s scoring format. Teams earned five points for a win in regulation, four points for a win in overtime and three for a win in strokes. Teams received two points for a loss in strokes, one for a loss in overtime and zero for a loss in regulation.
Marshall won once in regulation and twice in strokes prior to the final round for a total of 11 points. Herndon won twice in regulation and lost to Marshall in strokes for a total of 12 points.
"We lost to [Marshall] in sudden death penalty strokes," first-year Herndon Head Coach Mary Miller said. "I don’t know how you settle that with points."
Needing a win in regulation to advance to the championship game, Herndon capitalized on the tournament format, beating Washington-Lee 2-0 in regulation on Sept. 15. Junior midfielder Katherine Wilson and sophomore forward Sofia Palacios each scored a goal for Herndon, which advanced to face Fairfax.
"Hopefully it just gives them confidence," Miller said about the Hornets’ tournament performance. "We’re playing really well. We’re 6-3; one of our losses was in sudden death overtime, two minutes left, one of the losses was to Marshall, and then this one [against Fairfax]. I think they’re playing with a lot of confidence, I think they’re having fun, I think they’re enjoying it and they’re sort of expecting a good result, and that makes a big difference."
Herndon defeated Battlefield, 3-0, and lost to Marshall, 3-2, in strokes on the tournament’s first day. Senior forward Megan Janowski scored two goals against Battlefield and senior forward Gillian Linden, a captain, added one. Junior forward Kim Watling and sophomore midfielder Taylor Stone each scored a goal against Marshall.
Stone leads the team with seven goals. Palacios has five goals and a team-high 12 assists.
"Taylor Stone and Sofia Palacios are both sophomores," Miller said, "and they’re excellent players."
Junior goalkeeper Sarah Suter, who has missed time with a concussion, leads the team with 12 saves. Senior Margaret Purnhagen has 11 saves.
Palacios, Stone and senior defender Annie Kelly each made the all-tournament team.
Marshall Places Third
The Marshall field hockey team won each of its four games during the two-day Herndon Invitational, improving its record to 9-2. But while Marshall experienced success at the event, it was a game the Statesmen didn’t get to play that left them frustrated.
Marshall defeated Yorktown, 2-1, in the tournament’s third-place game on Sept. 15 at Herndon High School. Despite going undefeated, the Statesmen were left out of the championship game due to the event’s scoring format. Instead, Herndon, which Marshall beat during first-day action, faced Fairfax in the first-place game, which Fairfax won, 4-0.
Teams earned five points for a win in regulation, four points for a win in overtime and three for a win in strokes. Teams received two points for a loss in strokes, one for a loss in overtime and zero for a loss in regulation.
Marshall won once in regulation and twice in strokes prior to the final round for a total of 11 points. Herndon won twice in regulation and lost to Marshall in strokes for a total of 12 points.
The Statesmen were less than pleased with the outcome.
"Yeah, it was definitely frustrating," Marshall Senior Captain Katie Clark said. "…It’s a little bit annoying that we couldn’t make it [to the championship game], but we’ll play Fairfax later again in [the Liberty District]."
Marshall Head Coach Christina Carroll said the Statesmen were hoping for a match-up with the Rebels.
"It would be nice to play in the championship game," she said. "We wanted to play Fairfax when we saw the pools in the first place. I’m friends with the coach, we’re all friendly and we have a lot of players who are friends with each other from both teams from playing club and it’s a nice rivalry match-up. It would be nice to play them before we have to see them in the regular season."
Marshall defeated W-L, 2-1, in strokes and Herndon, 3-2, in strokes during first-day action. Junior forward Allie Johnson scored Marshall’s regulation goal against W-L.
Against Herndon, Senior Captain Madeleine Lewsen, a midfielder, and Clark scored in regulation. After overtime, the teams remained tied after the first round of strokes. The Hornets came up empty in the sudden death round of strokes before Lewsen scored the game-winner.
On Sept. 15, Marshall defeated Battlefield, 5-0, before beating Yorktown in the third-place game. Junior forward Kelly Mills scored a pair of goals against Battlefield and Lewsen, Clark and Senior Captain Maggie MacDonnell, a defender, each scored one. Against Yorktown, Clark and senior midfielder Katrina McLeod each scored a goal.
"With each game we get better," McLeod said. "We act more as a team, we play more like a team and it will only get better from here."
Clark leads Marshall with 11 goals and four assists this season. Lewsen has nine goals and two assists. Each made the all-tournament team.
"Those two," Carroll said, "really work well together."
Yorktown Finishes Fourth
A scheduling conflict left the Yorktown field hockey team playing three games instead of four at the Herndon Invitational, but Head Coach Stephanie DuVall said the Patriots left the two-day event having gained valuable experience.
Yorktown held an early lead against Marshall in the third-place game on Sept. 15, but lost to the Statesmen 2-1 to finish fourth at Herndon High School.
The Patriots lost their tournament opener 4-0 to eventual champion Fairfax on Sept. 14. Yorktown and Wakefield were also scheduled to play that night, but DuVall said the game would have put the Patriots over the maximum amount of 16 for the regular season. Instead, Yorktown won a coin flip and was awarded a 1-0 overtime victory against Wakefield.
The following day, Yorktown defeated West Potomac 2-1 before losing to Marshall. Yorktown senior forwards Carolanne Wilson and Tierney Patton each scored a goal against West Potomac. Patton scored via stroke. Senior Captain Jennie Basile, a midfielder, scored the Patriots’ lone goal against Marshall.
DuVall said the experience of facing Fairfax County opponents should help Yorktown. However, she’s looking for players other than the Patriots’ core of Wilson, Patton, Basile and Senior Captain Sophie Frank, a defender, to perform well.
"It’s just been a little frustrating because we have a couple girls who are really stepping up during all these games," Duvall said, "and some of the others are new to varsity and haven’t gotten the hang of where they should be."
Wilson leads Yorktown with five goals. Patton has three goals and Basile has two. Basile and Wilson made the all-tournament team.
Yorktown is 5-5, but opened National District play on Sept. 11 with a 1-0 victory against Hayfield. The Patriots travel to face rival Washington-Lee at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20.
Washington-Lee Finishes Fifth
Washington-Lee has reached the National District championship game three of the last four years and captured the district title in 2011. While the Generals fell short of the Herndon Invitational championship game, W-L made the most of its fifth-place opportunity.
W-L junior midfielder Ruby Grace scored in overtime to lift the Generals past West Potomac, 2-1, in the tournament’s fifth-place game on Sept. 15 at Herndon High School.
Junior midfielder Rebecca Choate also scored against the Wolverines, helping W-L finish 2-2 during the two-day event and bring its overall record to 6-5.
During first-day action, W-L lost to Marshall, 2-1, in strokes and defeated Battlefield, 3-0. Senior midfielder Katrina Cook scored W-L’s lone goal against Marshall. Cook, junior forward Sarah Bauman and senior forward Abigail Boshart each scored against Battlefield.
The following day, the Generals lost to Herndon 2-0 before beating West Potomac.
"I thought we did really well to go to strokes with Marshall. I thought they were a better team," W-L Head Coach Beth Prange said. "I thought we played a really good first half with Herndon and then we let down in the second.… Obviously, we’d like to win the district again. I think we can. I don’t think there’s anyone in the district that necessarily is having any better of a season than we are."
Senior midfielders Cook and Dana Raphael, and senior goalkeeper Maggie Burgos are the W-L captains. Cook made the all-tournament team.
"We lost a lot of players last year," Cook said, "so we’re working really hard on just being really open-minded and positive about the whole thing."
W-L will host rival Yorktown at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20.
West Potomac Takes Sixth
The West Potomac field hockey team entered the two-day Herndon Invitational with a 5-2 record, having scored 23 goals in seven games. But the Wolverines’ offense evaporated over the weekend as West Potomac dropped three of four to finish in sixth place.
West Potomac lost to Washington-Lee, 2-1, in overtime of the fifth-place game on Sept. 15 at Herndon High School. A goal by sophomore midfielder Amy Holm gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead, but the Generals came back to win.
West Potomac defeated Wakefield, 6-0, during first-day action, but the Wolverines were outscored 9-2 during losses to Fairfax, Yorktown and W-L.
"We played well overall," Head Coach Dana Hubbard said. "The girls didn’t give up; played tough every game. It was unfortunate to lose the games that we lost. They’ve played better before and didn’t score as many goals as I know they can."
On Sept. 14, West Potomac lost to eventual champion Fairfax, 5-0, and defeated Wakefield. West Potomac senior midfielder Angeli Ingle scored a pair of goals against the Wakefield. Senior forward Kelsie Whalen, junior midfielder Marjie Woods, junior defender Megan Janssen and Holm each scored one.
The following day, the Wolverines lost to Yorktown, 2-1, before falling to W-L. Sophomore forward Lizzie Wood scored against Yorktown.
Last season, West Potomac defeated Woodson in the first round of the Patriot District tournament, earning the Wolverines a berth in the regional tournament after a lengthy regional drought.
"It gave a lot of confidence knowing they can beat a big team and they can go onto regionals," Hubbard said. "It’s a starting point for us."
Whalen leads the team with eight goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Eva Hauptle has 24 saves.
Woods made the all-tournament team. Whalen, Ingle, senior midfielder Elise Bell and senior forward Kharis Schrage are team captains.
Battlefield Beats Wakefield for Seventh
Battlefield defeated Wakefield 1-0 in the seventh-place game on Sept. 15. Wakefield went winless and did not score a goal during the tournament.