Oakton High School | Archive | May, 2009

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area

Click the links above for all photos and videos from the Northern Region Tournament final!

Chantilly coach Melissa Bibbee and Oakton coach Brooke Alexander had nothing to talk about with their teams at halftime of the Northern Region championship.

That’s because they hadn’t even been playing for two minutes.

When play was suspended due to lightning with 1 minute, 58 seconds showing on the stadium clock at Fairfax on Friday night, the players left the field under the assumption that the game would be restarted in its entirety.

But, upon arrival at Madison on Saturday, it was confirmed that the match would restart in the 39th minute, with a Charger free kick, followed by an abbreviated halftime.

In the 43rd minute — or 4th minute, depending on calculation preference — Chantilly senior Kristen Melchiori scored the only goal of the match, lifting the Chargers over the Cougars, 1-0, for the Northern Region title.

“When we put that goal in, it kind of gave us that spark that we needed,” second-year coach Bibbee said. “It’s hard coming off a game from last night that now you have to play at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. But it’s great, my seniors definitely deserve it.”

Added Melchiori, after her ninth goals this year: “It was really strange coming from last night. We had all those interruptions and then we just have a minute on the field and then we come back and go back on again.

“But I thought we handled it well, we didn’t lose focus and we came out and scored right away.”

Melchiori’s game-winner came was birthed from a freshman duo, ironically against a side that, itself, starts six freshman.

Chantilly freshman Morgan Morris prevented a clearance by the Oakton back four. Morris played the ball in to freshman Olivia Colella, who turned and found Melchiori at the corner of the six-yard box.

“Olivia had a perfect feed right to me and I kind of turned, slid on the ground and hit it with my right foot in the far corner,” said Melchiori, whose team beat the Cougars twice this season, each by a 2-1 margin. “It’s hard to beat a team three times, so we knew they were going to come out firing and wouldn’t give up.

“We had to keep trying hard to bring them down.”

Still, it was not until Bibbee endured post-game ice shower — with an assist by Chantilly DSA Terry Brown — that the atmosphere was on par with that of a regional championship.

The start-and-stop opening, confused fans that had expected all 80 minutes and altered field dimensions at Madison opposed to Fairfax left the play somewhat rigid until Melchiori scored the only goal.

Bibbee countered the last of those three obstacles by repositioning her outside midfielders on the touchline, but no strategic adjustment could overcome the storms from Friday night and preexisting VHSL rules regarding resumption of suspended regional tournament games.

“I don’t want to blame it on the circumstances, because they were ready,” Alexander said. “Because of the breaking up of the game, not being able to finish it and Oakton had prom last night, it didn’t feel like we all imagined it would.

“That shouldn’t have been an excuse. They were ready to go and we should have been ready to go, too.”

Added Bibbee on her wary post-game celebration: “I kind of looked at my assistant, Kat [Libby], and was like, ‘We just won the region.’ It was weird. It was such a short period time, but it is what it is. I’m just glad we were able to finish them off and have a good season so far.

“We’re on to states.”

**Click here for Central Region championship results!**

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Oakton     (13-4-0)   0  0 —  0
Chantilly   (16-2-1)   0  1 —  1

Goals:                 
CH — Melchiori (43)

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By Phil Murphy and Angela Watts
DigitalSports.com

** Click the links to the left to access hundreds of photos and video highlights from the first half of the boys’ and girl’s soccer games that began on Friday.

** Click HERE for photos from only the first half of the boys’ soccer game.

**  Click HERE for photos from only the first half of the girls’ soccer game.

The Northern Region championship games for baseball, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer and softball were postponed Friday due to heavy rain and lightening.

It didn’t help matters that three of the participating schools — Centreville, Oakton and Westfield — were also hosting prom Friday night, which precluded games from being started too late.

As a result, all four games were eventually rescheduled for Saturday afternoon at Madison High School.

The boys’ soccer game between Robinson and Westfield was called with 15 minutes, 58 seconds showing on the clock in the first half. The two teams, which were locked in a scoreless tie, will resume play at 12 p.m.

It was a similar situation in the girls’ soccer game, where Chantilly and Oakton were also locked in a scoreless tie with just 1:58 remaining in the first half when the game was called.

The girls’ soccer game will re-start at 2 p.m.

The baseball and softball games, which never got started, will both begin at 3 p.m. The baseball finale will feature Lake Braddock and West Springfield; the softball title game will feature Centreville and South County.

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Submitted by Langley Lacrosse
 
The Saxons nudged the Cougars from the Boys Lacrosse Northern Region Tournament with a gritty 6-3 victory over the Concorde District fourth-seed squad this past Tuesday evening.  

This first-round playoff contest was actually more high-octane than the relatively low score might suggest, at least compared to the rain-drenched 2-0 encounter between the two teams at this same Langley field nearly two weeks earlier.

More significantly for Coach Earl Brewer’s side, the knock-out win was a pleasant contrast to the outcome nearly one year ago when the Cougars ended the Saxons’ 2008 season in a 6-5 regional playoff thriller at Langley.

Saxon midfielder Joey Byrne delivered a pair of goals, the second of which getting his side the 6-1 advantage at the 6 minute, 47 second mark of the final quarter that largely put the game out of reach of the visitors. Langley attackers Jack Lundeen and Ryan Ningard, midfielder Alex Devlin and defender Thomas Robinson weighed in with a goal a piece.

Oakton midfielder Barrett Johnson provided two goals while attacker Jason Chancler picked up one for the evening in a losing cause.

Both goalkeepers — Saxon Galen Kuney and Cougar Joey McCallum — were kept busy and forced into making several difficult stops throughout the game. Kuney was credited with 13 saves while McCallum turned back 11 Langley scoring attempts.

Ningard’s opening score within two minutes of the starting face-off likely had many thinking that the delightful spring weather had also boosted prospects for a more robust offensive display for the evening. But the game’s plot followed an altogether different route as the score remained 1-0 through the first half.      

The first quarter saw the home team with a substantial share of control and possession, with long sequences of passing in attack but few quality shooting chances. Oakton enjoyed improved possession as the half progressed, and had one serious attempt on Kuney’s net, coming out of a well-placed feed pass from a Cougar attacker in to midfielder James Wheatley lurking near the crease, snuffed out by the Langley goalie early in the second quarter.

Oakton got a brief scare with about three minutes left in the first half when McCallum mishandled a back-pass from one of his defenders allowing the ball to slip unguarded to the front of his crease. The Cougar goalie was able to recover just in time to prevent Saxon attackman Ethan Bailey from pouncing on the ball with the open net beckoning.

McCallum blocked a couple Langley shots late in the first half, then created a scoring chance when he heaved the ball downfield with seconds remaining. Kuney thwarted an Oakton effort to exploit the brief unsettled situation in front of his goal as the first half came to a close.

The battle started turning in favor of the hosts just after the half-time break. A bounce shot from Devlin from 15-yards out found its way past McCallum to double the Saxons lead to 2-0 less than two minutes into the third quarter. A Langley penalty coming out of the subsequent face-off presented the Cougars with an extra-man opportunity, but a point-blank save from Kuney denied the one promising shot during the advantage.

Oakton goalie McCallum came up big at his end as well about a minute later when he turned aside an attempt by Langley’s Bailey, who unleashed from about ten yards at the end of a fast break. McCallum was not as successful, however, about two minutes later and with his Cougars in a man-down situation. Lundeen converted from close range of McCallum’s crease off of a feed pass from Saxon midfielder Charlie Scharfen, staking Langley to a 3-0 lead.        

Byrne furnished the first of his pair for the evening with little more than four minutes left in the third quarter. The unassisted strike put his side up 4-0 and served notice that with goals at a premium for the visitors, they would be forced into chasing the game for the duration.

The Cougars pressed the play, and with growing possession in attack promptly forced another good save from Kuney on a Wheatley shot with about three minutes left in the third quarter. A cluster of Oakton attempts at Kuney’s cage later in the quarter sought to spark a Cougar revival, but this foray ended as result of a stellar effort by longstickman Brendan Dwyer. The Saxon defender out-raced an Oakton attacker in back-up to an off-target Cougar shot, and resorted to a slide and stretch to get the referee call of possession for Langley.

Oakton finally got its long-sought scoring breakthrough, but not until the start of the final quarter when Johnson delivered an unassisted goal, the first for the Cougars in little over seven quarters of play against the Saxons this year. The middie slipped by the Langley shortstick marker just outside the restraining box, maneuvered into shooting position and launched into Kuney’s net to put the score at 4-1 with nearly 11 minutes remaining in the contest.

Oakton’s relief at finally having penetrated the Saxon defensive fortress was short-lived, however, as Langley replied :25 seconds later with a goal from Robinson. The Saxon longstickman struck at the end of a rapid transition that started in his own defensive area where fellow defender Joey Cortina grabbed possession out of a take-away and quickly moved play into offense with Robinson providing the finish.   

Byrne’s second unassisted goal of the evening just before the midway point of final quarter made the task more severe for the Cougars, now trailing 6-1 and with less than seven minutes to keep their season alive.
 
A succession of Langley penalties — one for 60 seconds and the other for 30 seconds — midway through the final quarter offered a glimmer of hope for the visitors, but neither advantage situation resulted in goals.   

Chancler did get the second goal for Oakton, off of an assist from attacker Nick Ward, with four and a half minutes remaining in the game, to close the gap to 6-2.

Johnson then supplied his second of the evening, and perhaps the goal of the contest, with a neat finish off of an impressive end-to-end run. The middie collected the ball deep in his own defensive area, sprinted to other end and finessed around the last Saxon defender to fire in past Kuney from close range to put the score at 6-3 with about a minute-and-a-half left in the game.

But the game clock was as much a foe, as were the Saxons, at this stage for the trailing Cougars, whose valiant efforts to fashion a late-game comeback fell short of their playoff ambitions.  

The Saxons improved to 15-1 overall and advance to face Lake Braddock in the quarterfinal round of the regional playoffs while Oakton finished its 2009 campaign with a 5-7 overall record.   

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

Locked in a scoreless Concorde District quarterfinal with second-seeded Robinson and time dripping away in regulation, sixth-seeded Oakton dropped its midfielders to a more conservative alignment.

The adjustment forced the Rams to think out-of-the-box to net the game-winner — or out-of-the-field.

Junior midfielder Kevin Murphy heaved a throw-in from the near sideline off the fingers of the Oakton keeper and into the goal in the 78th minute to lift No. 3 Robinson to 1-0 win on Wednesday, earning it a berth in the district championship against Centreville.

Since throw-ins are in-direct dead ball plays — as they must touch at least one other player before being goal-eligible — the goal would not have counted had the throw entered the net without contact.

That, apparently, was okay with Murphy.

“I was mainly trying to throw to my forward who was screening the keeper, hoping something would happen,” he said. “And something happened, so it was exciting.

“I was a little shocked it actually went in.”

Added second-year Ram coach Jac Cicala, a two-time state champion while at Lake Braddock: “I’ve never seen that. If the goalkeeper had let it go, it would not have been a goal. When he went after it, we got the advantage on that one.

“I’ve not seen that. It’s a funny game, isn’t it?”

The match drew obvious similarities with the regular-season meeting between Oakton and Robinson on April 28, a 0-0 draw on the same field.

While the Rams held a decided possession advantage — and were visibly-greater threats in the attacking third — the Cougars never broke, even when the wind picked up in the home side’s favor for the duration of the second half.

“They made it really difficult,” said Cicala, whose team went 12-5-3 last season, finishing as runners-up in both the Northern Region and Virginia AAA State Tournaments. “They were well-organized, they kept destroying things and we didn’t make the most of the opportunities that we had.

“And the longer that game went on, psychologically, they were gaining momentum. That was huge at the end, huge. I did not want to go into overtime with them.”

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Oakton      (4-7-3)    0  0  —  0
Robinson  (10-1-2)   0  1  —  1

Goals:                 
RB — Murphy (78)

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Girls’ Soccer Top 10.
*Rankings and records as of May 11

1. Robinson (11-0-1) — LW: 1
Last week, the Rams moved into the No. 1 spot nationally in the ESPNRise poll. Robinson beat West Potomac, 2-0, last week in its only game. A Friday night marquee match-up with No. 3 Stone Bridge was canceled due to rain and will not be made up. But don’t worry, Northern Region GSOC fans, you will likely see that game some time in the regional tournament.
2. Broad Run (13-0-1) — LW: 2
The Spartans have outscored their opponents 50-3 this year, but only faced Potomac Falls last week (7-5-2), who they beat, 2-0. Broad
Run closes its regular season against unranked Dominion (1-12-0) and Park View (1-12-0). It is ranked No. 7 nationally on ESPNRise.
3. Stone Bridge (8-2-2) — LW: 3
The
Bulldogs have won seven games in a row by a combined 25-3, but haven’t played since a
2-0 road win over then-No. 5 Chantilly on April 29. Stone Bridge’s
two losses are to No. 2 Broad Run, 2-1, and No. 9 McLean, 2-1. Its first-round Liberty District tournament with Jefferson was postponed from Monday until Tuesday.
4. West Springfield (11-1-2) — LW: 5

The
Spartans have won 11 games
and tied once after opening the season with an 0-1-1 record. During its streak, West Springfield has
outscored its opponents 44-1, including a 1-0 win over Yorktown and a 5-0 win over Lee in its Patriot District tournament opener. It faces Annandale (6-4-3) in the semifinal on Wednesday.
5. Battlefield (11-2-1) — LW: 6
The
Bobcats continue to move up the ranks after a pair of six-goal games last week, including a 6-3 win over Osbourn and a 6-0 win over Stonewall Jackson. But
Battlefield is not out of the woods yet; it faces Osbourn Park, Stonewall Jackson and No. 6 Loudoun Valley on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
6. Loudoun Valley (11-1-0) — LW: 7

The Vikings have torched their first eight opponents, winning by a
combined 36-1 margin, but fell to No. 5 Battlefield, 2-1, on April 29,
losing on a pair of penalty kicks. Loudoun Valley gets another shot at Battlefield on Thursday, but must get through Fauquier (3-6-1) and Osbourn Park (4-5-0) first.
7. W.T. Woodson (10-2-2) — LW: 4
The
Cavaliers led No. 10 Oakton, 1-0, in the 69th minute on Wednesday, but yielded two goals in the final 11 minutes for their second loss of the season. Woodson rebounded in style, though, in the first round of the Liberty District tournament, beating eighth-seeded Marshall, 5-0. It faces Madison (7-5-1) on Wednesday night in the tournament semifinals.
8. Chantilly (11-2-1) — LW: 8
The
Chargers beat also-receiving-votes team Centreville, 3-0, in the nightcap of a varsity doubleheader to close out their season before toppling Fairfax, 4-0, in the Concorde District quarterfinals on Monday. Chantilly faces No. 10 Oakton in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday.
9. McLean (12-2-0) — LW: 9
The
Highlanders
have
netted a Northern Region-best 52 goals this season, and bolstered that stat by beating South Lakes, 6-0, in the Liberty District opening round. McLean draws the winner of Jefferson and No. 3 Stone Bridge in the semifinals on Wednesday. The Highlanders beat both of those teams in the regular season, including a 2-1 over the Bulldogs on March 30.
10. Oakton (10-2-0) — LW: N/A
The Cougars fell out of the poll last week after a 5-1 loss to No. 1 Robinson, but earned their spot back with a pair of impressive wins last week, most notably a 2-1, come-from-behind win over then-No. 4 Woodson on Wednesday. Oakton faces No. 8 Chantilly in the Concorde District semifinals on Wednesday night.

Also Receiving Votes — listed alphabetically
Centreville (6-4-1)
Heritage (11-4-2)
Lake Braddock (8-5-0)
South County (8-3-2) — LW: 10
Woodbridge (11-2-1)

**Rankings include teams from Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties

Click here for previous Top 10 rankings:
April 14
April 21
April 28
May 5

Comments? Contact Phil Murphy at pmurphy@digitalsports.com

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By Angela Watts
Assistant GM, Washington D.C. Metro Area

** Click the links to the left to access hundreds of photos and dozens of video highlights from Tuesday’s playoff game!

On a night highlighted by a few sweet distractions — a prom proposal on one side and a newborn adoring the sideline on the other — it was a history-making performance on-the-field that ultimately stole the show Tuesday at W.T. Woodson.

That’s where the Cavaliers held off a furious rally from Oakton to emerge with an 19-18 victory over the Cougars in the first round of the Northern Region tournament.

That means, for the first time in history, there will be a new Virginia High School League girls’ lacrosse champion.

Oakton has claimed all three of the VHSL girls’ lacrosse titles since the official state tournament began in 2006 with championship game victories over Fairfax (9-5), W.T. Woodson (12-10) and Chantilly (20-11) in consecutive seasons.

But the host Cavaliers made certain that crown will finally be passed this season.

“I’m a new coach so I don’t really know the history of every team, but I knew the history of Oakton,” first-year W.T. Woodson Coach Meaghan O’Leary said. “That’s part of what made this so important to the girls.”

In addition to their storied past, it just so happens that the Cougars have also ended the Cavaliers’ season each of the past two years.

“It was really a step that our team needed to take,” said W.T. Woodson senior captain Carrie Pritchard. “We really needed to be able to know that we could beat Oakton. It’s a huge thing for us because they’ve really been a hard match for us in the past.”

And despite coming into the game as the No. 4 seed out of the Concorde District, Oakton proved to be anything but a pushover this time around too.

W.T. Woodson, the Liberty District’s top-seed, jumped to a quick 8-3 lead just 10 minutes into the first half, largely controlling not only the ball but also the tempo of the game in the early going. But that’s when the Cougars began to play catch-up.

Led by seniors Danielle Filipponi and Blair Keffer, junior Lauren Mathieu and freshman Jackie Rupp, Oakton managed to pull within 14-12 at half time.

“The stakes are always raised in regionals when it’s that do-or-die kind of mentality,” Oakton Coach Jean Counts said. “And I think our girls finally realized that they had to pick up the pace if they had any shot of reaching their goals. For us, this year, they were baby goals. Little ones. And our goal was just to get to practice tomorrow.

“We weren’t looking to the end of the road of the state tournament or anything at all … we were just trying to get to be together again tomorrow.”

For both teams, that meant trying to slow the frantic scoring pace that defined the first 25 minutes of play.

“When I looked at the score at half time I thought, ‘This should be the ending score’ ” O’Leary said. “Especially with two good teams. But there were a lot of eight-meter shots. And usually, eight meters in high school go in.

“I guess both teams were just ready for that back-and-forth kind of competition.”

But it did slow in the second half — once it got started. There was a brief pause as the players took the field to line up for the second-half draw when W.T. Woodson junior Charles Basil ran onto the field — with a bouquet of flowers in hand — and asked Pritchard to go with him to prom.

“He’s my boyfriend, so it was pretty much a sure-thing I’d say yes,” Pritchard said, laughing. “Being asked at a game isn’t all that usual anymore … but being asked on the field is. So I thought it was cool.”

So, too, was the drama of the final half of play.

Oakton junior attacker Jackie Alexander knotted the score at 16 with 11 minutes, 35 seconds left to play, and that’s when the fun really began.

The Cavalier student-cheering section came to life — at one point even moving to stand just along the fence so their voices would more readily reach the field — as the intensity on-the-field increased.

W.T. Woodson (11-3 overall) re-gained the lead with 9:15 remaining on a goal by freshman attacker Elena Obregon, whose team-high five goals marked a new career-high. The Cavaliers increased that margin to 18-16 less than three minutes later on the fourth and final goal of the game for senior standout attacker Lauren King.

But Oakton (5-8) held strong, pulling within a single score once again at the 6:09 mark on Filipponi’s fourth goal of the game.

Then came what proved the game-winner, a beautiful assist-and-score from Cavalier senior midfielder Rebecca Geist to junior attacker Rachel Obregon with 3:18 showing on the clock.

The Cougars added one more goal courtesy of Rupp inside two minutes to play, but a late save by W.T. Woodson senior goalie Carolyn Fridley sealed the victory for the home team.

“She played awesome,” O’Leary said of Fridley. “She came up with so many key stops. The thing I always tell my team is that once the goalie makes the save you must get the ground ball if it deflects off of her, because she can’t save another one if it comes right back down her throat. And I counted five that came off my goalie and our defense did not pick up the ground ball.

“But Carolyn did a standout job tonight and, really, has this whole season. She was amazing.”

While the Cavaliers celebrated, tears fell on the Cougars’ sideline as seven Oakton seniors reflected on their high school careers.

“They’ve seen a lot of good things happen for this team,” said Counts, whose newest addition, Kellan — the youngest of her six children — slept in the carrier beside her. “So they wanted to just be a part of that again.”

But it wasn’t meant to be. So far, baby Kellan hasn’t proven very good luck.

“He was born two weeks ago today, and this was his third lacrosse game,” Counts said. “We’re 1-2 for his lifetime, which stinks. I wish we were winning for him. But we’ll have to work on that next year.”

Email: awatts@digitalsports.com

Oakton                12  6 — 18 
W.T. Woodson     14  5 — 19

Goals — Oakton: Keffer 5, Filipponi 4, Mathieu 3, Rupp 2, Alexander, Brigham, Kuykendall, Palmucci; W.T. Woodson: E. Obregon 5, King 4, R. Obregon 4, Geist 2, Montgomery 2, Pritchard 2.

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Created by Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area

Top 10 Plays — May 4-10, 2009

Click
the video on the left for the full countdown of the Top 10 plays from
across the seven DigitalSports territories in the greater Washington,
D.C. Metro area.

You can also view the full list of top plays
below. Click on the titles to view the individual, unedited highlights
at respective homepages.

Check back every Monday morning for the new Top 10 countdown from around the metropolitan area.

To nominate and upload plays or accomplishments from your school:

**CLICK HERE**

Honorable Mentions (in no order):
Ward’ing Off Competition — DeMatha senior Eric Ward hits a beautiful passing shot
against Gonzaga’s Paul Mascola en route to a 10-4 win. Ward was undefeated over the past three
years, winning the WCAC singles title each season and helping DeMatha win the WCAC tennis championship this year.
Jose, Can You See? — Wakefield soccer features 15 seniors and just four underclassmen. But, on Senior Night, it was junior Jose Gonzalez that shined brightest, scoring twice, including this 80th-minute game-sealing strike after a long run through the defense. Tenth-ranked Wakefield beat Herndon, 2-0.
Mood Ring — With 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter and the score tied, Robinson junior Rachel Moody scored what proved the game-winning goal to lift the Rmas over the previously-unbeaten Chargers, 9-8, for the Concorde District championship.
Latka Catch at Wall Preserves Win — Loudoun Valley led Battlefield, 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Bobcats’ tying run on second. Virginia Tech recruit Courtney Liddle hit this 2-2 pitch from Caroline Williams (James Madison) deep to right-center, but sophomore Katlyn Latka drifted back to the fence to provide the final out and the pivotal win.
Fore Wood — Oxon Hill slugger Sean Woods went deep twice (here and here) in the Clippers’ 10-8, come-from-behind win over Parkdale in the 4A South first round. More from this game in the Top 10.

No. 10 –– Meyers Top-Shelf Winner
Northern Region, Virginia
— Oakton trailed No. 4 W.T. Woodson, 1-0, in the 69th minute on Wednesday at the Mott Center. But, after Cougar freshman Danielle Fitzgerald equalized, freshman Alex Meyers netted the game-winning goal in the 79th minute with this top-class, top-shelf strike. Oakton — which features six freshman starters — is 9-2-0.

No. 9 –– Crew’se Control
Prince William County, Virginia
— Woodbridge beat the field by :14 seconds in the Mens 1st 4 Event, finishing at 5:21.04, at the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championships on Saturday. The Vikings feature Tyler Dawson, three-seat Matt Doody, two-seat Val Stutz, bow J.C. Fisher and coxswain Katie Garrity.

No. 8 — Ningard Sparks Saxons
Northern Region, Virginia
— Langley senior attackman Ryan Ningard scored five times — three times in the opening quarter — as the Saxons avenged their only loss of the year in the Liberty District title game. Langley beat No. 10 Madison, 11-8, on Friday night at Marshall.

No. 7 –– Cook Pipe-to-Pipe

W.C.A.C., Maryland
— With one minute remaining, St. Mary’s Ryken led Good Counsel, 10-9, in the WCAC semifinals. But a missed shot led to a rebound by Falcon middie Luke Poulus with an open-cage — and a game-tying goal — mere feet away. Knight goalkeeper Mason Cook, though, dove across the goal to redirect the shot wide and preserve both Ryken’s 10-9 win and its berth in the league finals.

No. 6 –– Aryn’s Staff
Prince George’s County, Maryland
— After Oxon Hill turned a 5-0 deficit to an 8-8 tie with Parkdale in its 4A South first-round game, Clipper first baseman Aryn Morton crushed what proved the game-winning solo home run over the left-field fence. Oxon Hill won, 10-8, to advance to its second-round game with Laurel.

No. 5 –– Boy of Summers
W.C.A.C., Maryland
— In the WCAC semifinals against Gonzaga, DeMatha junior Hilly Summers sealed the 6-4 win — and berth in the league championship game — with this first-quarter hit and fourth-quarter goal. DeMatha will face St. Mary’s Ryken in the WCAC Finals on Tuesday at the University of Maryland at 7 p.m. The Knights defeated the Stags in the 2007 title game.

No. 4 –– Grand-Rule Double
S.M.A.C., Maryland — Ram junior Tyler Croson thought he had a grand slam after this pitch launched off his bat and over the wall in the bottom of the third inning in the 2A South first-round game between Oakland Mills and McDonough. But the umpires gathered and mistakenly ruled it a ground-rule double. No matter, though, Croson was driven in on a single later in the frame and the Rams won, 10-0, in a five-inning, combined no-hitter.

No. 3 –– Burdette Free Kick
Prince William County, Virginia
— Woodbridge played C.D. Hylton twice in a 19-hour span last week, winning both games, 4-0. Viking junior Kristin Lybert scored four times in the two games, giving her 17 goals this season and 72 for her career. But the most exhilarating goal came off the foot of Woodbridge senior defender Casey Burdette on this 35-yard free kick.

No. 2 –– Open Waters
Northern Region, Virginia
— Tied with rival Westfield, 4-4, in the Concorde District title game on Friday, defending state-champion Chantilly crashed the cage with :03 seconds left in double overtime. Charger junior middie Joey Marson had his shot stopped by a Bulldog defender, but junior attackman Brendan Waters had his stopped only by the back of the goal. Waters turned 17-years-old just 2 hours after scoring the district-winning goal.

No. 1 — Bounding Benton
S.M.A.C., Maryland — North Point senior Tristan Benton shattered the previous SMAC meet record in the high jump — which was 6-feet, 6-inches — by leaping 6’9″ on Saturday at Great Mills. He also finished second in the long jump and high jump. Benton, a University of Maryland commit, set his outdoor personal record on April 18 at the Waldorf Track Classic when he leapt 6’10”, the best mark in the state this year.

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

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Prince William Content Editor

2009 Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship Regatta Interactive Results
Click on the event to view video highlights from the race.

Event 31: Men 1x Final
1. J.E.B Stuart, 6:27.5
2. North Mooreland, 6:48.87
3. Mathews, 5:53.0
4. Wakfield, 7:10.0
5. Cox, 7:58.1

Event 32: Men 2x Final
1. Mathews, 5:51.3
2. Grassfield, 5:58.7
3. Mathews (Jr.), 6:08.0
4. Great Bridge, 6:16.2
5. McLean, 6:22.8
6. Wakefield, 6:48.6

Event 33: Women 2x Final
1. Woodbridge, 6:25.0
2. Mathews, 6:38.8
3. Gloucester, 6:41.7
4. Potomac, 6:59.9
5. Cox, 7:04.3
6. J.E.B. Stuart, 8:13.6

Event 34: Women 3rd 8 Final
1. Yorktown, 6:00.4
2. Washington-Lee, 6:03.4
3. Robinson, 6:04.7
4. Thomas Jefferson, 6:06.9
5. Westfield, 6:11.3
6. T.C. Williams, 6:13.0

Event 35: Men 3rd 8 Final
1. Robinson, 5:21.8
2. Woodson, 5:23.0
3. Westfield, 5:52.0
4. Washington-Lee, 5:28.5
5. Thomas Jefferson, 5:38.7
6. T.C. Williams, 5:45.7

Event 36: Men 2nd 8 Final
1. Yorktown, 5:04.7
2. St. Albans, 5:06.9
3. Westfield, 5;09.8
4. Thomas Jefferson, 5:17.2
5. Washington-Lee, 5:17.7
6. Oakton, 5:36.6

Event 37: Women 2nd 8 Final
1. T.C. Williams, 5:47.1
2. NCS, 5:54.8
3. Robinson, 5:56.6
4. Washington-Lee, 6:00.2
5. West Springfield, 6:04.9
6. Georgetown Visitation, 6:07.2

Event 38: Men 2nd 4 Final
1. Gloucester, 5:47.3
2. Madison, 6:04.4
3. Christchurch, 6:05.8
4. Woodbridge, 6:07.4
5. Langley, 6:28.5
6. Maury, 6:43.2

Event 39: Women 2nd 4 Final:
1. Woodson, 6:50.0
2. James River, 7:11.7
3. Madison, 7:19.2
4. Granby, 7:21.0
5. Great Bridge, 7:25.2
6. Langley, 7:49.1

Event 40: Women 4x Final
1. Forest Park, 6:38.2
2. Hylton, 6:50.9
3. Woodbridge, 6:54.3
4. Potomac, 7:25.8

Event 41: Men 4x Final
1. J.E.B. Stuart, 5:41.6
2. Hylton, 6:05.0

Event 42: Men Light 4 Final
1. Granby, 5:52.8
2. Fairfax, 5:54.2
3. Mathews, 5:57.6
4. Woodson, 5:58.5
5. Madison, 6:08.4
6. Langley, 6:12.9

Event 43: Women Light 4 Final
1. Great Bridge, 6:56.0
2. Oakton, 7:08.4
3. Madison, 7:13.9
4. James River, 7:28.3
5. Hylton, 7:29.4

Event 44: Men Light 8 Final
1. Great Bridge, 5:23.0
2. Woodbridge, 5:26.1
3. Lake Braddock, 5:37.3

Event 45. Women Light 8 Final
1. McLean, 5:39.2
2. T.C. Williams, 5:43.9
3. South County, 6:24.9
4. First Colonial, 6:29.0
5. Gar-Field, 6:33.4
6. Woodbridge, 6:39.4

Event 46: Men 2x Light Final
1. Woodbridge, 6:22.5
2. J.E.B. Stuart, 6:31.3

Event 47: Women 1x Final
1. J.E.B. Stuart, 7:14.8
2. Cox, 7:39.5
3. Grassfield, 7:52.0
4. Wakefield, 8:20.4

Event 48: Men 1st 4 Petite
1. Great Bridge, 5:45.0
2. Christchurch, 5:57.1
3. Granby, 5:57.4
4. Langley, 6:06.1
5. James River, 6:11.7
6. Gar-Field, 6:19.7

Event 49: Men 1st 4 Final
1. Woodbridge, 5:21.4
2. Gloucester, 5:35.0
3. Hylton, 5:41.3
4. Hickory, 5:45.2
5. Madison, 5:45.6
6. St. Albans, 6:04.3

Event 50: Women 1st 4 Petite
1. Madison, 6:32.8
2. Granby, 6:45.6
3. Gloucester, 6:48.6
4. Woodbridge, 6:48.8
5. Langley, 6:32.5
6. Episcopal, 7:08.1

Event 51: Women 1st 4 Final
1. Woodson, 6:55.5
2. Great Bridge, 6:59.4
3. Mathews, 7:02.8
4. Woodbridge, 6:48.8
5. Langley, 6:32.5
6. Episcopal, 7:02.8

Event 52: Women 1st 8 Petite
1. Westfield, 6:06.9
2. Thomas Jefferson, 6:07.6
3. Oakton, 6:10.3
4. First Colonial, 6:13.5
5. Washington-Lee, 6:24.8
6. West Springfield, 6:29.0

Event 53: Women 1st 8 Final
1. NCS, 6:00.9
2. Yorktown, 6:05.1
3. T.C. Williams, 6:08.2
4. McLean, 6:15.6
5. Robinson, 6:17.2
6. Georgetown Visitation, 6:24.2

Event 54: Men 1st Petite
1. T.C. Williams, 5:28.1
2. South County, 5:30.9
3. Robinson, 5:36.1
4. Oakton, 5:37.0
5. West Potomac, 5:48.5
6. Mt. Vernon, 5:53.3

Event 55: Men 1st 8 Final
1. Yorktown, 5:05.8
2. St. Albans, 5:08.9
3. Thomas Jefferson, 5:10.3
4. McLean, 5:19.7
5. Washington-Lee, 5:19.7
6. Westfield, 5:24.9

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area

*37 HIGHLIGHTS and 329 PHOTOS ADDED*

Trailing No. 4 W.T. Woodson by a goal with just 11 minutes remaining, Oakton turned to its talented corps of freshmen to mount a comeback.

Not that it had much of a choice.

The Cougars — who feature eight freshmen on their varsity roster, including six starters — scored in the 69th and 79th minutes to topple the Cavaliers, 2-1, at the Mott Center in Fairfax on Wednesday afternoon.

“At halftime … they looked a little tired, but they were going to have to **** it up [in the] second half and dig deep,” Oakton coach Brooke Alexander said. “We’re a young team. And we know that we have talent, but we’re young.

“We have to learn how to come out against really great teams and learn to stay competitive all the way to the 80th minute.”

Added Cougar freshman Danielle Fitzgerald: “Our coach is motivating us … We’ve got some really young talent and she’s encouraging us to use it, show it to others and prove it to ourselves.”

The Cavaliers featured a freshman of their own in the 14th minute, when midfielder Elizabeth Gaski put them ahead on a mishandled corner kick.

But for the remainder of the match, Woodson relied on the stellar play of starting keeper Marlee Stynchula and freshman Jessica Ferrari — who entered at halftime — to maintain its one-goal advantage.

Oakton, though, equalized in the 69th minute when junior Erin Reynolds dispossessed a defender in the Woodson third, and fed Fitzgerald with a low cross that the ninth-grade striker finished with ease.

After two scoring chances in the next 10 minutes — and two top-flight saves by Ferrari — the Cougars netted the game-winner on an 18-yard strike by freshman Alex Meyers that floated into the upper-90 for her 12th goal this year.

“When I saw the ball coming at me — I saw Jenna [Cahill] had it — I was like, ‘Oh gosh, what do I have to do with it now?'” said Meyers, Ferrari’s teammate on BRYC Santos, the fourth-ranked ’94 club team in Virginia. “I just saw the far corner was open, so I took the shot. I thought the keeper was about to hit it over, but luckily it went right in the corner.

“And I just felt relief come over, but right after the relief we had to get back focused to make sure they didn’t score again.”

Added Alexander: “Meyers kind of has a knack for coming in after someone and finishing it off. She’s competitive. The girls are competitive up front and they always to do well, because they like to get the job done.”

Playing in the Concorde District makes that urge a necessity.

It is likely the deepest district in the Northern Region, something Oakton (9-2-0) found out the hard way when it fell to No. 8 Chantilly, 2-1, on April 24 and No. 1 Robinson, 5-1, on April 28 at home.

But the Cougars have an opportunity for vengeance in next week’s district tournament against the Chargers and defending state-champion Rams. And both the young team’s coach and its players feel confident that a club-wide mental alteration could yield different results on the pitch.

“Our goal was to come out and actually try to prove it to ourselves that we could beat a team that was as good as Woodson,” said Alexander, in her second season. “Our focus was actually inward, and I think it helped. The other two games we had been focusing on trying to prove something to other people and I think that the focus needed to come inward for us.”

Added Fitzgerald, whose goal was her sixth this year: “I think this win will help us because the two teams that beat us during the season will look at us as a stronger team and back off.

“They’re going to be intimidated and know that we were better than when we played them.”

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Oakton             0  2  —  2
Woodson         1  0  —  1

Goals:                 
WT — Gaski (14)
OK — Fitzgerald (69)
OK — Meyers (79)

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Girls’ Soccer Top 10.
*Rankings and records as of May 5

1. Robinson (10-0-1) — LW: 1
The
Rams clinched the regular-season Concorde District title with a pair of victories last week, including a 5-1 win over then-No. 9 Oakton on Tuesday. In its final regular-season match, Robinson plays No. 3 Stone Bridge (8-2-2) on Friday.
2. Broad Run (12-0-1) — LW: 2
The Spartans have outscored their opponents 48-3 this year, including
11-1 in the last week, all against teams with a winning record. Broad Run beat Heritage, 1-0, on Tuesday, Briar Woods, 6-1, on Wednesday and
Loudoun County, 4-0, on Friday. It faces Park View (0-11-0) and Potomac Falls (7-4-2) this week.
3. Stone Bridge (8-2-2) — LW: 8
The
Bulldogs have won seven games in a row by a combined 25-3, including a 2-0 road win over then-No. 5 Chantilly last Wednesday. Stone Bridge’s
two losses are to No. 2 Broad Run, 2-1, and No. 9 McLean, 2-1. It closes the season with a match against No. 1 Robinson on May 8 and is in a three-way tie atop the Liberty District.
4. W.T. Woodson (9-1-2) — LW: 4
The
Cavaliers only played one game last week and drew, 1-1, with No. 5 West Springfield (9-1-2), who entered with eight-straight wins. Woodson hosts Oakton (8-2-0) on Wednesday in a 3 p.m. matinee at Patriot Park.
5. West Springfield (9-1-2) — LW: 6

The
Spartanshave won nine games
and tied once after opening the season with an 0-1-1 record. During its streak, West Springfield has
outscored its opponents 38-1, including a 6-0 win over Hayfield and a 1-1 road draw with No. 4 Woodson last week. The regular-season Patriot District champions host Yorktown (6-5-0) on Thursday.
6. Battlefield (9-2-1) — LW: 10
The
Bobcats leap up the poll after a pair of impressive wins last week, including a 2-1 road win over then-No. 3 Loudoun Valley, who was previously-unbeaten. But Battlefield is not out of the woods yet; it faces Stonewall Jackson on Tuesday before a rematch with Loudoun Valley (10-1-0) on Friday and a match with Osbourn (4-4-1) on Monday.
7. Loudoun Valley (10-1-0) — LW: 3

The Vikings have torched their first eight opponents, winning by a
combined 36-1 margin, but fell to No. 6 Battlefield, 2-1, last week, losing on a pair of penalty kicks. That loss, though, was sandwiched between a 7-1 win over Stonewall Jackson and a 5-3 victory over Osbourn. Loudoun Valley faces Culpeper and Osbrourn Park this week before a rematch at Battlefield on Friday.
8. Chantilly (9-2-1) — LW: 5
The
Chargers lost to No. 3 Stone Bridge, 2-0, on Senior Night, but rebounded with a 2-0 win over then-No. 7 McLean. Chantilly faces Centreville as part of a varsity doubleheader next week.
9. McLean (10-2-0) — LW: 7
The
Highlanders
have netted a Northern Region-best 46 goals this season, but split their two games last week. They fell to then-No. 5 Chantilly, 2-0, on Thursday, but rebounded with a 2-0 win over Jefferson on Friday to force a three-way tie at the top of the Liberty District.
10. South County (6-2-2) — LW: N/A
Since an 8-0 loss to the Spartans on April 22, the Stallions have posted a trio of impressive wins: 6-1 at Hayfield, 3-2 at Lake Braddock and 5-2 against C.D. Hylton. South County travels to Madison (5-5-1) on Tuesday before closing the regular season at home against T.C. Williams (4-6-2) on Wednesday, a possible first-round Patriot District Tournament game preview.

Also Receiving Votes — listed alphabetically
Centreville (5-3-1)
Heritage (9-3-2)
Lake Braddock (7-5-0)
Oakton (8-2-0) — LW: 9
Woodbridge (7-2-2)

**Rankings include teams from Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties

Click here for previous Top 10 rankings:
April 14
April 21
April 28

Comments? Contact Phil Murphy at pmurphy@digitalsports.com

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