Patriot's power transfer
By Jason Mackey
South County sophomore Morgan Duffy transferred more than just kinetic energy when she redirected a pass from teammate Paige Ritari past Lake Braddock goalkeeper Caitlin Landsman with 35 minutes, 11 seconds left in last Friday's girls soccer match between the two schools.And courtesy of Duffy's left-footed tally, South County's 1-0 home win over the defending two-time Virginia AAA state champion Bruins may have also transferred the Stallions from a talented upstart to a legitimate region threat.
“Our goal was to not get all worked up,” said South County coach Maureen Saale, whose team improved to 10-0-2 overall, 7-0 in the Patriot District with a 4-0 win over Hayfield Tuesday. “They knew that they would have sole possession of first place with a win, but I don't think they looked at it like that.”
Maybe South County's nearsighted approach was a result of mental toughness or maybe Saale's young group just didn't know any better. The Stallions started only two seniors Friday, along with four sophomores, four juniors and a freshman.
“I think we play a part in leading because our positions involve scoring,” said sophomore Alex Reed, who contributed 12 goals in 2007 and currently has a team-high 10 this season. “Everyone has their own job, and we all just do it.”
As for Lake Braddock, first-year coach Adam Soos watched his team suffer its first step backward in more than a month. Soos and Co. faced a daunting non-district schedule to start the season, a slate that featured dates with region stalwarts Chantilly, Oakton and Robinson in a seven-day span.
Soos anticipated an early-season struggle, and his group's 1-3 record wasn't of the utmost concern. But after spotting what his team needed to work on, Soos switched his emphasis to a more fundamental approach following a 3-0 home loss to Robinson on April 1.
The Bruins were reborn and cruised to a 5-0 mark through the rest of April; however, much of which led to that sudden improvement failed to translate on the field during Friday's loss.
“I think we're capable of playing a much better game,” said Soos, whose team is 6-4-1 overall, 5-1 in the Patriot District after tying Yorktown 4-4 Tuesday night. “I think that we played with a lack of intelligence, and we gave away possessions early. We didn't force them to work defensively.”
At a time when the region's reigning heavyweight had steadied itself and was primed to reclaim its familiar perch atop the district, South County, averaging 2.8 goals per game, sent that heavyweight packing as its youngsters pronounced themselves ready for the biggest stage.
“They're hard to beat,” said Duffy, speaking of her Lake Braddock counterparts. “It's a young group of players, but that doesn't mean anything.”