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A not-so-memorable performance
Chantilly junior Katie Stillwell was so focused on closing out her team's win over district rival Oakton on Monday night that she forget one key part of the game: celebrating -- and remembering -- her game-winning tally.“I didn't even know I scored the game-winner. Wow. That's even better,” said Stillwell, whose netter with 2 minutes, 15 seconds left proved to be the difference in a 9-8 win at Poplar Tree Park. “I was just fired up. I wanted to win.”
In only her fourth season on the Chargers' sideline, coach Michele Gates has been able direct her team's focus away from individual accomplishments, as evidenced by Stillwell's surprise.
Gates has her players believing in a system that requires passing and quite a bit of offensive depth. Five different Chargers scored goals during Monday's win, including two from Stillwell and three from senior Brittany Griel.
“If you try to stop one girl, that's easy. If you try and stop two girls, that's also pretty easy,” said Gates, whose team concluded its regular season at 11-0 overall, 6-0 in the Concorde District. “When you have [multiple] girls who are going to step up, that makes it a little bit more challenging.”
Fourteen Chargers have scored goals this season, and five of those 14 have reached double digits. Further emphasizing Gates' team-first approach, exactly half of Chantilly's goals this season have been off of an assist.
So how couldn't Stillwell and Co. have believed that Gates' system was going to be a success? After all, she practices what she preaches.
“I don't even remember [Stillwell's game-winner], and I won't until I see the film,” admitted Gates. “I just want to make sure that I see it right.”
Compared to Oakton, the Chargers are relative newbies on the lacrosse circuit. The Cougars have won the past two Virginia AAA state titles, and playing in high-pressure games like Monday's isn't anything new for coach Jean Counts' team.
But the reaction and praise drawn from the 10-year veteran Counts speaks volumes toward what Gates has accomplished at Chantilly during her four-year tenure.
“I have to give [Chantilly] a lot of credit. They're a very good team,” said Counts. “They have a lot of weapons, and they use them wisely. I think that we were just a step behind.”
With Oakton holding a 4-3 lead after Blair Keffer's goal off of a rebound, Chantilly benefited from three different goals by three different players to close the opening half, as Griel, senior Christina Patten and junior Rayna Margolis gave the Chargers a 6-4 advantage at the break.
The two teams combined for a 10-plus minute, one-goal scoring shortage that ran from Stillwell's second tally at 20:52 until Griel's third and final goal at 9:29 of the second half. (The only marker during that period came from Oakton's Christina Nugent at 14:27.)
Griel's third proved to be an important piece of insurance as Oakton stormed back with a pair of goals to tie the score at eight. But when Chantilly slowed down the tempo and got the ball to Stillwell, Gates' philosophy was personified again.
“We slowed things down and we worked it around,” said Griel, who was a first team All-Region selection last season. “We always look for the best shot possible at that moment.
Maybe next time they'll remember it.
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