After suffering its first loss of the season, the Centreville girls’ soccer team responded with a goal in the first minute of its following match against Herndon.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they wouldn’t get another.
Centreville and Herndon played to a 1-all tie on Monday, moving the Wildcats’ record to 7-1-2.
Sophomore midfielder Camryn Conklin capitalized on an opportunity in front of the net, giving Centreville a 1-0 lead in the opening minute.
“She knows where to be,” Centreville head coach Shane Kellogg said. “She made the right run and that’s where she was supposed to be.”
The Wildcats led until the 33rd minute, when Herndon freshman Olivia Duston’s goal tied the score at 1.
“I think we handled it pretty well immediately after,” Kellogg said about jumping out to an early lead. “I think we got a little complacent after that.”
Kellogg, who previously coached the Marshall boys’ program, is in his first season coaching the Centreville girls. He took over for Gary Malebranche, who led the Wildcats to the 2014 6A state championship game.
“We did pretty good, I think we just need to possess the ball a little bit more; stop trying to rush it,” Kellogg said of Monday’s performance. “That’s something we’ve been trying to force too much is going too quickly. I think once we slow it down we’re fine and we’ll be a hard team to beat.”
Senior forward Noelle Brown is Centreville’s leading goal-scorer. Kellogg said center backs Monica Kirk and Jessica Viands, and midfielder’s Conklin and senior Bella Muzo have played well.
Centreville’s Conference 5 record is 1-0-2. The Wildcats will travel to face Oakton at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 30.