Chantilly, Langley girls battle to draw
By Dave Buschenfeldt
In an early-season game rife with story lines, it was Mother Nature who took center stage Friday night when the Langley girls soccer team traveled to Chantilly. The Saxons faced former coach Melissa Bibbee, who joined the Chantilly program this year after nine seasons at Langley, and came away with a 1-1 tie on a windy evening.
After falling behind, 1-0, when Chargers junior Cortlyn Bristol scored a breakaway goal just more than a minute before halftime, Langley senior Lauren Hakim knotted the score five minutes into the second half when her 35-yard free kick seemed to get caught in a gust of wind and sailed into the net over the outstretched arms of Chantilly goalkeeper Lauren Jancuska.
“I don't usually score much, but I've scored three goals this year so far,” said Hakim, who admitted the wind was a big factor. “I'm really happy about that. I feel more confident with how I'm playing.”
Bibbee also felt the breezy conditions affected the game, as the Chargers were playing into the wind during the second half, and many of their kicks were knocked down by the gusts.
“I thought the wind was a huge factor,” she said. “We were against it in the second half, which is when it picked up. That was difficult. We were just trying to hold them off. It's part of the game. Things like that happen.”
After the game, the Langley players gave Bibbee a group hug, a gesture the coach was not expecting.
“Most of these kids have had older siblings that have played for me,” Bibbee said. “Some of them, I've know for like eight years. When you know kids that long, they're a great group of kids.
“They played really hard. I want them to win every game, except when they play us. A tie is a nice way to end it. Of course, I wanted to win that game.”