|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Cougars heed warning; earn third state title
Less than five minutes into the Virginia AAA girls lacrosse final, Oakton senior Ashley Kimener received a scary reminder of last year's title game, that somewhat-forgettable occurrence when she was handed her second yellow card and shown the door with 5 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in the opening half.
In what was the fourth meeting this season between Chantilly and Oakton, Kimener was again handed a yellow card and a three-minute reprieve on the sideline. When Kimener stepped back onto the field, the James Madison-bound midfielder made sure that history wouldn't repeat itself.
Kimener scored seven goals -- all after the yellow card -- Saturday at Westfield High School and Oakton cruised to a 20-11 win over Chantilly, earning its third consecutive state title and second straight win over the Chargers.
“I had a flashback because I didn't want to get kicked out again,” said Kimener. “I just told myself that I can't do it again. Just play 'body'. Keep your stick up because the refs are going to call it."
Kimener did as promised for the rest of the game, and also managed to sprinkle a few spectacular goals throughout the next 40 minutes. After an inexplicably difficult shooting night in the semifinal round, Kimener manuevered her way through every defense that Chantilly threw out.
Oakton, who barely slid into the Northern Region tournament but eeked out a 14-12 win over Chantilly, recorded wins over Forest Park and Loudoun Valley in the first two rounds of the state tournament. And with the rainstorm that ripped through Northern Virginia this past week, Oakton's semifinal win was pushed to Thursday instead of Wednesday.
So how did the short week affect Oakton's preparation?
“Our last practice was yesterday. It was our 63rd practice of the year, and it was a three-hour practice because we were still working,” joked Oakton coach Jean Counts, whose team has featured several young call-ups from the junior varsity squad. “They worked so hard and I think that's why it's so gratifying because we were not favored at all.”
Apparently the practice worked.
Oakton started off with a flash, courtesy of goals from Sarah Beth Rupp (2 goals), Blair Keffer (2 goals) and Brittany Patriarca (2 goals), which all came in a span of 1:21.
Chantilly's Brittany Griel (4 goals) scored twice and Katie Stillwell (3 goals) added a goal, as the Chargers tied the score at three with 16:13 left in the opening half.
Oakton's Danielle Filipponi scored her only goal of the game at 14:27 and Erin Sensabaugh followed with two of her five goals to put Oakton on top, 6-3. Sensabaugh, who among others provided clutch secondary scoring to back Kimener's seven-goal effort, applauded her team's depth.
“Ashley Kimener is obviously the best player on our team, but we can't just stick with her,” said Sensabaugh. “People say that she's the only person on our team, but we're definitely a team.”
Griel scored her third to make it 6-4 with 12:05 to play, but Kimener followed with her first three goals of the game -- a natural hat trick – to push Oakton's lead to five. The Cougars continued their offensive onslaught and carried a 14-6 advantage into the break.
“Oakton came out and outplayed us,” said Chantilly coach Michele Gates, whose team finished 17-3. “They definitely deserved the title. They took it to us.”
Sensabaugh and Kimener combined for a 3-0 run to start the second half before Liz Dunwoody's (3 goals) first goal of the game snapped an eight-plus-minute scoring drought for the Chargers.
Chantilly closed the game on a 5-2 run, but Kimener's damage had already been done. Turns out it's a pretty good idea to stay on the field during your last state final.
“I'm kind of in shock but I'm excited at the same time,” said Kimener, who also tallied two assists. “Last year I didn't get to play in my state game, so I was glad we made it here and came out with a win.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.