For the second consecutive year, Maggie Walker Governor's School finds itself perched atop the Central Region as field hockey champion after defeating Hanover 3-1 on Thursday night at SportsQuest.
"It's pretty exciting to win two years in a row," Maggie Walker coach Paige Hawkins said. "But, what's more exciting is how a team can play with such togetherness like we have."
All the goals came in the second half after an intense, but scoreless, first half.
Katy May started the scoring on a penalty shot that was called after a Hanover goalie and defender were deemed to have made the ball inaccessible.
"It was exciting, we really wanted to repeat as champions," May said. "It was important to get that goal in the net."
Colonial District and Central Region player of the year Siobhan Rigby put the ball past Hanover keeper Bailey Lien for the second goal on a shot from outside the circle that went to the left corner.
"It was all about intensity," Rigby said. "We always have to play on the ball at all times, whether its 0-0 or 5-0 and that's what we did. Hanover is a great team."
The Hawks got on the board when Julianne Moore beat Maggie Walker goalie Julia Whitehead on a shot that went to the left corner.
May then found the net again late in the second half on a rebound opportunity to seal the Green Dragons' victory.
Both teams advance to the first round of the Virginia High School League Group AAA tournament. Maggie Walker will play at SportsQuest on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Westfield of the Northern Region. Hanover will travel to South County on Tuesday for its first-round game.
"(Hanover players) played their hearts out and did everything I asked of them," Hawks coach Sarah Bottorff said. "Maggie Walker is a great team. Now, we just are going to practice hard and work on converting."
Maggie Walker players are excited about playing on the same surface for the state tournament.
"We're going to try and use the surface to our advantage," May said.
Green Dragons senior forward Lane Scher said she is excited about getting back to the state tournament.
"We just have to play our best and take it one game at a time," she said.
Hawkins said her team has another goal in mind, something it failed to do in 2010.
"Our goal is to be the first team in the Central Region to make it out of the first round since 2004," she said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement