By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor, Washington DC
**Photos and videos from all games available by clicking the tabs on the top-left, or view individual game highlights by clicking the corresponding links beneath each final score.
Westfield 2, Madison 1
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Despite unquestionably controlling the tempo for the entire first half, Westfield only caged one-goal against Madison (10-9) through 20 minutes.
But it was not until after the Warhawks game-tying goal eight minutes after halftime that the Bulldogs regained the momentum and pulled away for a 2-1 win and a berth in the Northern Region semifinal.
“We should have capitalized on some of our chances in the first half,” said Westfield coach Terri Towle, a four-year starter at Michigan State. “It should have more of like a 2-0 game in the first half. But we didn’t capitalize in the first half. At the start second half, Madison came out very strong and maybe we were a little too comfortable.
“In a regional tournament, anything can happen.”
And anything almost did. Warhawk junior forward Hallie Dominick slapped home a cross to tie the game before the Bulldogs (18-3) took their fingers of the snooze button and awakened.
After a series of short corners and waves of pressure on the Madison cage, Westfield senior defender Maddy Curry scored the game-winner on a set play from a penalty corner with 6 minutes, 44 seconds left in the game.
“I just took a hard shot and it went off that girl’s stick and up into the air and the goalie couldn’t stop it,” she said. “My sophomore year we won the region, so we’re hoping we can be just as successful as then.”
But Curry’s game-deciding goal came after a series of viable Bulldog scoring chances that barely missed. Although Westfield was more than satisfied with its victory, it recognizes the goals it may have left on the field.
“We didn’t play a full 60 minutes here, which is why we ended up losing that goal,” said Towle, whose Bulldogs are 62-20-1 in the last four seasons. “Every team that is in this tournament is capable of scoring in one trip down the field. So we have to be ready on defense and we have to be able to capitalize on our corners, we had a few go wide and miss by just a few inches.
“We’ll be working on that tomorrow.”
South County 4, McLean 2
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Holding a one-goal lead at halftime over McLean (12-6-2), South County coach Leah Conte ordered a quick return to basics to put away the win.
Her adjustments worked as the Stallions scored twice in the first four minutes of the second half in what proved a 4-2 win over the ever-improving Highlanders.
“We just focused on three key points that we need to use: Spread the field, attack down the sidelines and get second and third shots,” Conte said. “They focused on that and they did it.”
Two of the four Stallion goals were scored by junior forward Megan Wears, including the latter of quick pair to open the second half.
“It was more the other two goals that came after [mine],” said Wears, whose Stallions are 18-3. “We have great attackmen and it’s really exciting when more people on the team score than just one.”
Conte, though, realizes a late lapse like the one that led to the final McLean goal could prove costly on Monday against Concorde District champion Westfield.
The Bulldogs have beaten the Stallions twice this season: 3-0, on August 23, and 2-1, on September 3.
“Being up 4-1, you kind of get back on your heels,” she said. “You’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to win this game.’ But, in reality, you have to stay up on your toes the whole time.”
Annandale 4, Jefferson 2
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Sometimes postseason success is all about peaking at the ideal time. No team has epitomized that ethos more than — or remotely as close as — Annandale.
Already with an upset, two-goal win over Lake Braddock on its resume, Annandale captured its seventh victory in the last eight games with a 4-2 win over Jefferson on Friday.
With the win, the Atoms advance to the Northern Region semifinals, one game from a state tournament berth.
“The beginning part of our season didn’t go as well as we wanted as far as the outcomes go,” said Annandale coach Cindy Hook, whose team started 3-10 before catching fire two weeks ago. “But they never gave up, they never stopped. They kept working together and they continued to believe. They made that decision as we were getting ready for the playoffs that they were going to really work together and step it up.
“It’s all them and they’ve certainly earned it.”
The Atoms were paced by senior Melisa Tordella, who scored the team’s first and third goals. The go-ahead goal, which she caged with 15 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the game, came off a penalty corner, a point of emphasis in Tordella’s training.
“I’ve been working all season on my corner shots,” she said. “And I’ve been getting really close, and it feels really good to finally get one in.”
Annandale (10-11) faces Lake Braddock in the Field No. 2 regional semifinal on Monday. The Atoms handed the Bruins their only loss, 2-0, on October 21.
Lake Braddock 1, W.T. Woodson 0
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For the last two years Lake Braddock has fallen victim to curious hex that found it unable to advance beyond the Northern Region quarterfinal round. Few would have expected that all along, the ailment’s cure sat next to a Slurpee machine.
Thanks to a new pre-game ritual by two impact Bruins — and other nonsense like unequaled conditioning, great set-piece strategy and sound defense — Lake Braddock reversed the curse with a 1-0 win over defending regional champion W.T. Woodson on Thursday.
“Me and, actually, Mackensy Medlin, we have this little thing we do right before the game,” said Bruin senior forward Ann Marie Gambescia, who scored the game-winning goal with just over 13 minutes left. “Before Tuesday, we went to 7-11 and got a PowerBar and a Gatorade and we said if we won, we’d go do that again. I’m a really superstitious person.
“We told the cashier at 7-11 that we’d be back getting the same exact order on Sunday.”
And Lake Braddock needed every calorie and carbohydrate to withstand the Woodson onslaught that followed Gambescia’s goal.
Cavalier junior and Liberty District Player of the Year Shelly Montgomery, senior Mary Beth Barham and senior forward Jaime Pritchard all had shots in the waning moments.
Woodson entered Thursday’s quarterfinal with a Northern Region-best, 12-game winning streak against VHSL competition.
“That was the longest 10 minutes of my life,” Bruin coach Diane Miller said. “You look at the clock and it’s not moving… I had been nervous about this game for a long time, but I’m just so proud of them. They never gave up even when Woodson pressed a lot.”
With the season-defining win on Thursday, Lake Braddock’s second over Woodson (16-3) this season, it advances to play Annandale with a berth in the Northern Region championship and the state tournament on the line.
The Atoms handed the Bruins (20-1) their only loss in the Patriot District semifinal last week, 2-0. The defeat was both devastating and, apparently, necessary.
“Everyone is psyched for this game,” said Gambescia, one of 12 seniors on Lake Braddock’s roster. “I think that loss — as bad as it might sound — we kind of needed it, because we were 18-0 and that kind of got to our heads a little bit… Come Monday we’re going to be back for revenge to prove that that shouldn’t have been a loss.”
Added Miller: “They were so determined to come out here and play better than what they’ve been playing lately and live up to what their record is. Losing in the district tournament was a big blow to them.
“But beating Woodson, whew, that’s a big win.”
E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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