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“This stage does feel a little bit different, but in general we know we deserve to be here,” senior defender Kamryn Winger said. “And we know that the way we’ve played is what got us here, so we just need to keep that going.”
Senior forward Samantha DeGuzman had a goal and two assists in the first half. Other scorers were senior Anika Berger, junior Tiana Cruz, senior Mia Arevalo-Delcid and senior Anna Simmons.
After beating Oakton (17-2), the Sharks will return to Aldie to face Battlefield at noon Sunday. The schools are on familiar terms, having faced off twice this year. Their most recent meeting came in the Class 6 Region B championship game: a 4-0 win for Colgan.
“We know what’s coming, so we just need to bring the same energy and hopefully bring a ring back to our school,” DeGuzman said.
Battlefield toppled Madison on a goal from forward Autumn Hottle with three minutes remaining in sudden death overtime. The 1-0 victory sends Battlefield to the state title game for the first time since it won three straight from 2014 to 2016.
“That was a grit-it-out, we-refuse-to-lose type of performance,” Bobcats Coach Kevin Hilton said. “It was just straight desire.”
Played in the midday heat, the game devolved into a slugfest as both the Bobcats (17-2-3) and the Warhawks (15-4-1) looked winded by the second half. In the extra periods, offensive chances were created only when one team or the other found a new reserve of energy. Hottle’s goal came as the Bobcats looked to push numbers forward. With three players in the box, the junior filled in behind. The ball came out to her, and she let a shot fly from about 22 yards out.
“I knew PKs were right around the corner, so if I got a shot I had to take it,” Hottle said. “I could feel that it was good. I was just hoping it was going to go where I thought it would.”
Sunday’s championship will be the third match in three days for Battlefield. Its quarterfinal was delayed to Friday because of graduation and then by Canadian wildfires that created hazardous air quality in parts of the United States.
“We’ve got some ice baths and lots of hydration in our future,” Hilton said. “I think it’s pretty shameful that the [Virginia High School League] is making these girls do that. . . . So tomorrow we’re going to do more of what we did today: rely on our desire.”
Lewis boys advance, Hayfield falls
In the boys’ bracket, the Lewis Lancers affirmed themselves as one of the best programs in Northern Virginia by earning a spot in the state championship game for a second time in three years. The Lancers earned a gritty 2-0 win against Landstown on Saturday at Champe.
The Lancers will face Kellam on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
“The buzzword is culture, right? But there’s a difference between a coach saying we’re working toward big things and now having done it,” Lancers Coach John Millward said. “Three years in a row in the state tournament, two finals in three years: These are big things. These guys have embraced the challenge.”
The Springfield program burst onto the local scene with a Class 5 championship appearance in 2021 and followed it up with a trip to the Class 6 quarterfinals last spring. It advances to Sunday’s Class 6 final as a seasoned group with undeniable talent and experience.
Junior midfielder Gustavo Rivas scored both second-half goals for the Lancers (13-6-1), who dictated the flow of the match for much of the afternoon.
“We never got frustrated that we weren’t finishing chances,” Rivas said. “We believe that if we keep getting after it, the goal is going to come.”
In the earlier semifinal, Hayfield gave undefeated Kellam all it could handle. Making the first state tournament appearance in school history, the Hawks looked undaunted as they dominated possession and pressed for a goal.
Even when the scoreless match reached penalty kicks, a fickle and often cruel way for a postseason result to be decided, the Hawks didn’t flinch. And yet the Knights came up with a save when it mattered most and won the shootout, 5-4.
“These kids have never been afraid to go after it, never been afraid to be great,” Coach Daniel Drickey said after the game. “Penalty kicks are a terrible way to lose, but they’re a part of our game.”
Hayfield (16-2-3), not widely expected to be a state contender this spring, found success this season with a potent combination of youth and experience. As such, the reaction to Saturday’s loss was a mix of misery and hope.
“They’re heartbroken right now because they have absolutely worked their tails off to get us into this position,” Drickey said. “But these kids will rebound.”
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