DazeBlog

VIRGINIA BEACH — The state playoffs are a new beginning, in which previous losses no longer count and every team starts every game even.

In the Class 6 field hockey semifinals at Ocean Lakes High on Friday, two teams settled old scores in dramatic fashion, setting up today’s noon championship showdown between W.T. Woodson and Yorktown.

In the first semifinal, Woodson held on for a 2-1 victory over undefeated Oakton. In the second game of the regular season, Oakton cruised to a 5-1 win over Woodson, but Cavaliers Coach Kate Stribling said that result did not concern her at this stage.

“That was an entire season ago,” Stribling said. “That was Aug. 26, and this is Nov. 10. We’ve played a lot of games and worked so hard in practice to get here today.”

After a scoreless first half, Woodson (21-4) took a 2-0 lead when Amanda Lee scored early in the second half and Siena Niedrick added a goal in the final seconds of the third quarter. Woodson’s defense and goalkeeper A.J. Ingson repeatedly turned away the Cougars’ challenges until early in the fourth quarter, when Samantha Tyler wrapped a shot around Ingson to break up the shutout.

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Ingson said the Fairfax County program has been playing with a high level of confidence since it beat West Springfield on senior night. Ingson said the early-season loss to Oakton (22-1) was a distant memory.

“We didn’t feel like the same team, and they didn’t seem like the same team either,” Ingson said “It’s like a fresh start. It’s all new, and we thrive in this environment.”

Yorktown’s 2-1 victory over Fairfax, which required two overtime periods, reversed the outcome of last year’s state title game, in which the Lions beat the Patriots, 1-0. Asked afterward whether that heartbreaking loss provided additional motivation Friday, Yorktown Coach Olivia Shipley shook her head.

“This is just another game,” she said. “It’s just another game we have to win against a tough team.”

Junior Olivia Stafford disagreed. Stafford scored the game’s first goal 30 seconds in and then ended the match with a goal off an assist from Piper Gill near the end of the second overtime period.

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“Oh, of course!” Stafford answered about whether the 2022 result was a motivating factor. “You can’t not think about it. You don’t dwell on your losses, but it was in the back of my mind when we took the field. No one wants to lose, and you remember the tough ones.”

Yorktown (19-2) almost won in regulation, but Fairfax (18-3) tied the game at 1 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Kaia Beaudoin rifled a shot into the top of the goal from 15 yards out. Both teams had strong scoring opportunities in the overtime period before Stafford’s goal ended it.

The Patriots won the state title when Stafford was a freshman and lost in the title game last year. On Saturday at Kellam High, she will play in her third straight championship game.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “We worked hard to get here, and we know Woodson’s a good team. This is what you play for.”

Independence breaks through

For the Independence Tigers, the fifth time was the charm. In each of the previous four years of the school’s history, the team advanced to the state semifinals — and lost.

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On Friday at Ocean Lakes High, the Tigers beat Nansemond River, 3-1, to advance to Saturday’s Class 5 state title game, in which they will meet First Colonial.

“It’s an accomplishment,” said Jennifer Darrow, who has coached the team since its inception. “These girls have worked so hard and really pushed themselves to their absolute best potential. They couldn’t have worked harder.”

The Tigers (21-0) employ a style of play Darrow likes to call “Two-touch Indy hockey” — receive the ball on your stick and then pass it to a teammate, producing constant motion with minimal stickhandling and dribbling.

The playing style worked with aplomb Friday, with Independence controlling the ball much of the day. Freshman Lucy Demcsak gave the Tigers an early lead, but Nansemond River scored midway through the second quarter, and the teams were tied at halftime.

Independence got third-quarter goals from An Tran and Sammie Goin and held off the Warriors the rest of the way.

“We knew we couldn’t get comfortable,” Goin said. “It felt great to go ahead and then to get another, but we knew they were going to keep coming after us.”

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Goin, a junior who committed early to play at Syracuse, acknowledged it felt “amazing” to finally get to the state championship game. But she stressed the job is not complete.

“All the work we’ve put in — not just this year but all of those years — has led up to this for us,” Goin said. “But our goal wasn’t to win the semifinals. It’s to win state, and we’ve still got one more game to go."

— Mike Holtzclaw

LOUDOUN VALLEY 2, POWHATAN 1: Last year, Loudoun Valley saw its season end in a penalty shootout in the Class 4 semifinals. On Friday, the Vikings were on the verge of heading back to overtime on the same stage.

Awarded a penalty corner with no time on the clock, Loudoun Valley made sure it wouldn’t rehash the past. Sophomore Maddie Barnes, previously responsible for a game-tying goal, fired a shot home to give her team a dramatic win over Powhatan (18-3) at Kellam High.

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“It was just a huge relief,” Loudoun Valley Coach Melissa Ferrara said. “I hadn’t seen the girls cry this season because they were happy, and they did.”

After conceding a second-quarter goal, the Vikings (19-3) stayed composed and rallied to extend their coastal stay long enough to play Gloucester (18-2) on Saturday for the Class 4 title.

“They’re ready to play,” Ferrara said. “They’re ready to finish this.”

MERIDIAN 1, POQUOSON 0: A first-quarter goal was all Meridian needed to advance past Poquoson in the Class 3 semifinals at Kellam High — unsurprising considering the Mustangs (21-0) boast one of the stoutest back lines in the state.

Since the postseason began, Meridian has become familiar with low-scoring affairs. It marched to a region championship with three consecutive 1-0 wins, riding a remarkable defense that has allowed just four goals this season.

In all but three games, the Mustangs shut out their opponent. Poquoson (16-6), which scored at least four goals in 10 games this season, was the latest team to meet that fate.

Tabb (21-0), the two-time reigning Class 3 champion, bested Western Albemarle (19-3), 5-0, earlier Friday to set up a matchup of unbeatens in Saturday’s championship game.

— Emmett Siegel

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