The Gazette: QO girls top Blair, to meet Whitman

Friday, Oct. 31, 2008
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

All it takes is one shot.

The defending Class 4A state champion Quince Orchard girls soccer team didn't have many good looks at goal in Thursday's West Region semifinal at No. 2 Blair. But the third-seeded Cougars made the best of it in a 1-0 win, clinching their fourth consecutive regional final appearance.

"We're so used to holding onto the ball for a good portion of the game and creating a lot of chances," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "Sometimes I get upset that we're not putting away the chances we have. It's nice to know we can capitalize when we have few chances."

Quince Orchard (12-2-0) will play 2004 state champion Whitman (10-4-0), a 3-0 winner over Sherwood, on Monday at 7 p.m. at Richard Montgomery. The game will be a rematch of the 2005 final, which the Vikings won on penalty kicks.

Finishing scoring chances is a common issue among high-school girls soccer teams. But Quince Orchard netted one when it really needed to.

Blair (14-2-0), in just its second region semifinal and looking for its first-ever regional final appearance, pressured the Cougars for the majority of Thursday's contest.

The Blazers outshot Quince Orchard 10-4. But the Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute on junior defender Emily D'Italia's third goal of 2008. Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour started the game-winning play, perfectly placing a free kick from about 30 yards out directly in front of the goal. Senior Lane Kurkjian got her head on it and deflected it to D'Italia, who buried it just inside the left post.

The Quince Orchard defense held and Blair was unable to convert any of its chances.

"We had some golden opportunities but just the run wasn't in the right spot, or something," Blair coach Bob Gibb said. "Somehow you've got to put the ball in the back of the net. They did and we didn't …

"In professional soccer, set pieces make for something like 50 percent of scoring. In high school maybe not as much, but it's very important. And getting that first goal is very important."

Thursday's win was Quince Orchard's seventh shutout this fall. This season was Blair's best-ever campaign; the Blazers defeated Wootton and Whitman for the first time in the program's history.

Cougars win a nail biter against Blair 1-0

The Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the Montgomery Blair Blazers tonight away at Blair High School by the score of 1-0. The game was played on a less than ideal surface and the Cougars had some early trouble settling the ball and maintaining possession. Eventually we were able to sort it all out and contain the scrappy Blazer midfield and forwards. Both teams traded some early runs and shots on goal. In the 33rd minute on a restart from a foul against the Cougars, Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour took the direct free kick. The shot on goal careened off of Senior midfielder Lane Kurkjian, bounced off the ground and was headed into the back of the Blair goal by Junior midfielder, Emily D'Italia.

The second half found the Cougars and the Blazers both battling to retain possession and press forward into their attacking halves. QO desperately trying to score an insurance goal and Blair trying to score the equalizer. Each team had some excellent chances in the seocnd half with each midfield sending searching balls into the final third with the forwards running onto balls and taking shots. A late corner kick by Blair in the waning moments of the game was again turned aside by the Cougar's defense. With moments to go in the game the ball was sent over the touch line by Blair, and the referee watched the QO throw in with his whistle in his mouth, and blew for the end of the game as the ball came back onto the field. QO wins 1-0 and is off to the Regional Finals against Whitman on Monday!

Go Cougars!

The Gazette: Girls soccer wrap-up

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

The Poolesville girls soccer team set up a possible Class 1A West Region semifinal showdown with second-seeded Northern (Garrett County), which beat it in last year's quarterfinal round, with Tuesday's 10-0, regional-quarterfinal win over Hancock at home.

Poolesville junior forward Stephanie Boulter scored three first-half goals, four total, to give the third-seeded Falcons a 4-0 halftime lead. They never looked back.

Alli Nessalt (2), Holly Chittenden, Abigail Tjornehoj, Ellie Lallonde and Mary Beliveau all contributed to Tuesday's scoring rampage.

"The weather was so crazy, I was concerned it would have an effect our play," second-year Poolesville coach Christina Mann said. "The girls did a really good job adjusting and keeping to our style of play. I kind of hope Northern won because that would be a good opportunity for us to get some payback."

Walkersville 6, Northwood 1

Northwood's season ended in a 6-1 loss at third-seeded Walkersville in Tuesday's Class 2A West Region quarterfinals.

Northwood (4-8-1) trailed just 2-0 at halftime, but a few defensive mistakes late proved too costly. Three of Walkersville's goals were scored off corner kicks.

Cecilia Bayoh scored the Gladiators' only goal to cut the Lions' lead to 5-1 late in the second half.

"I'm not upset," second-year Northwood coach Carlos Montelvan said. "They are a good side. They were organized; they're a quality team. I'm content with our season. We improved from last year. We're just trying to develop a program."

Seneca Valley 2, Einstein 0

Seneca Valley senior forward Kendall Shelton scored two goals to clinch the Screaming Eagles' 2-0, Class 3A West Region quarterfinal win over Einstein at home.

The win earned Seneca Valley (6-7-0) a regional semifinal date at top-seeded Bethesda-Chevy Chase.

"It doesn't matter what happens [against B-CC], I'm extremely proud of the girls," Seneca Valley coach Claude Sayag said. "[Tuesday's] game was fun. We enjoyed it."

Sophomore defender Dani Bankins manned the Screaming Eagles' backline efficiently Tuesday for Seneca's fourth shutout this season.

Shelton leads the team with eight goals; sophomore midfielder Jasmine Sampson and freshman midfielder Denise Gapcham each have six goals.

Quince Orchard 2, Wootton 0

Defending state champion Quince Orchard improved on its performance in a 2-1, overtime win over Wootton Oct. 18 for a 2-0, Class 4A West Region quarterfinal win Tuesday.

The Cougars (10-2-0) took care of business in the box, on offense and defense, efficiently Tuesday.

Leah Prentice put Quince Orchard ahead 1-0 in the seventh minute and Yvonne Latour made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Kayla Clarke picked up the assist on both shots. Goalkeeper Amanda Whitney tallied 11 saves.

"[Wootton] created some dangerous chances with their direct style of play; we cleared a couple balls off the goal line," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "We said before the game, urgency in the boxes could make or break the game."

Cougars defeat Patriots in Regional Quarterfinals, with 2-0 win.

The Quince Orchard Cougars scored twice, while allowing no goals in tonight's 4A West Regional Quarterfinal against the Wootton Patriots. Wootton fresh off their win against Blake were looking forward to their "Date with Destiny", as reported by the Gazette.

The Cougars looked sharp from the opening kickoff, controlling the ball well in the midfield, defending strong and generating offensive attacks early, all hallmarks of the Cougar team. Possession was the key in the victory tonight. The play was crisper and cleaner than at any time this season and the girls looked like they wanted to beat the visiting Patriots.

Both Cougar goals were scored in the first half, the first coming early in the game. In the sixth minute Junior midfielder Kayla Clarke sent the ball streaking up the middle to the running Junior forward Leah Prentice who beat her defender to the ball and held her off as she smartly struck a left footed screamer into the Patriot's goal. Cougar fans did not have to wait very long as in the 33rd minute Kayla again worked her magic, this time dealing the ball to Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour who had a great angled shot into the wind that just seemed to take ages to reach the upper far corner of the Patriot's goal. Quince Orchard up 2-0 at the half. Senior goalkeeper Amanda Whitney was in form tonight making several key saves and plucking balls out of the air from crosses and corner kicks alike. Sophomore defender Sami Slonim and Junior midfielder Emily D'Italia both a wonderful goal mouth clearances to preserve the shutout.

The wind was certainly a factor this evening as it gusted across the field towards the home stands. Twelve minutes into the second half the wind caused a short delay, as the stadium lights flickered and 1/2 went dark. There was a break in play as the lights were reset and play was restarted. The second half was more of the same play from the Cougars and Patriots both. The only difference being the Patriot defense did not allow any balls through and their offense was much more aggressive as the Patriots struggled to find the Cougar net.

Tonight's win propels the girls into the 4a West Regional Semifinals Friday against Blair High School, who won their quarterfinal game against Churchill 1-0 scoring very late in the 2nd OT period.

Let's go COUGARS!

The Gazette: 4A West girls soccer: It's not just all about QO anymore

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

A year ago, the Quince Orchard girls soccer team avenged its 2006 state final loss with its first crown since 2002. The two-time defending Class 4A West Region champion Cougars (9-2-0), seeded third in this year's regional tournament slated to begin Thursday, are again a team to watch in the '08 postseason.

But parity runs deep in the bracket this time around. There are a number of teams looking to prove they're worthy of a shot at states, too, including top-seeded Walter Johnson (10-1-0), No. 2 Blair (10-1-0), No. 4 Blake (8-2-1) and dangerous floaters such as Whitman (7-3-0), Wootton (6-4-1), Northwest (6-4-1) and Churchill (5-5-1).

Walter Johnson, looking for its first state appearance since 2002 and second overall, has the county's best scorer at its disposal in senior forward Caroline Miller (24 goals). Strong backs such as Mitra Ebrahimi, Tess Petesch and Chaucia Sydnor, have locked down opposing offenses and gotten the ball up to Miller quickly.

The Wildcats' all-time scoring leader is not alone, complemented up top by junior Catherine Madden and freshman Caroline Haggerty.

Contrarily, Blair has had its success playing with just one striker. Sophomore Sofie Read (17 goals) has replaced three-year leading scorer, senior Annie Worden, as Blair's go-to target up top.

But that's allowed Worden to drop back and help control the midfield alongside talented freshman Jamie Kator. Blair boasts fantastic overall team speed and a stingy defense; the Blazers have outscored their opponents, 44-10.

Quince Orchard is powered by a speedy and balanced attack. The Cougars' possession-style offense is helmed by juniors Ele Margelos, Leah Prentice and Yvonne Latour, who have each scored seven goals. Classmate Kayla Clarke has eight assists from the midfield, where senior Lane Kurkjian is another key cog.

The bad news for the Cougars is that starting defender Heather Amato is out for the season with a knee injury.

Blake is powered by speed and short, efficient passing. Scoring is spread among six players who each have at least six goals. Seniors Liza Sitz and Sarah Levitt lead the way with seven each, while senior defender Maureen Madden can also move up.

Whitman boasts one of the strongest midfields in the county, anchored by seniors Retha Koefoed (2 goals, 2 assists) and Meaghan Doherty (4 assists) and junior Emma Bethel (1, 6). Lucy Arledge (5 goals) leads Whitman's attack.

However, the Vikings must eliminate the frequent concentration lapses that dogged them through the regular season.

Northwest looks as good headed into this postseason as it has in more than seven years. The Jaguars shouldn't be overlooked; all four of their losses were one-goal defeats. Led by junior Cindy Beard (7 goals) and sophomore Sheridan Allen (6), they thrive on speed and possession.

Churchill and Wootton have struggled to compensate for their inexperience. But Wootton is always a threat with junior Allison Yeager in the middle and Churchill, led by Kelly Foster and Jackie Nolan, is just as dangerous.

Check ww.gazette.net/montsports for exact dates and times

First round (Oct. 23-24)

No. 13 Sherwood at No. 4 Blake

No. 12 Springbrook at No. 5 Magruder

No. 11 Wootton at No. 6 Northwest

No. 10 Churchill at No. 7 Richard Montgomery

No. 9 Whitman at No. 8 Gaithersburg

Quarterfinals (Oct. 28)

Whitman or Gaithersburg at No. 1 Walter Johnson

Churchill or Richard Montgomery at No. 2 Blair

Wootton or Northwest at No. 3 Quince Orchard

Sherwood or Blake vs. Springbrook or Magruder

Semifinals

Friday, Oct. 31, matchups TBD

Final

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Cougars tame Bengals in a catfight.

The Cougars traveled across the county this evening to meet the Bengals of Blake High School. This was the last regularly scheduled game of the season for both teams, and was Blake's Senior Night. Blake got on the scoreboard first, but the Cougars could not be held down and they came back strong in the first half. In the 9th minute Junior midfielder Kayla Clarke crossed a beautifully arcing ball across to Junior Forward Leah Prentice who doggedly stuck with the play, and kept track of the ball, settled and put the ball into the back of the net.

The Cougars kept up the pressure and had another great shot on goal in the 16th minute that the Bengal's keeper tipped up out of the goal and played solo volleyball to gain control and clear her goal. Six minutes later the scrambling hustle of Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour found her with the ball in the midfield, a few touches and a laser like pass to Sophomore Sami Slonim who banged the ball past the Blake keeper to score the game winner. QO leads at the half 2-1.

The second half saw more back and forth play with some great defending and goal keeping by the Cougars. Neither team was able to capitalize on any of their chances and the game ends with the score 2-1 in favor of your Cougars!

JV Cougars bitten by Bulldogs, 7-1

For the last game of the season everyone, the coach, players and parents, had high hopes for a great game. The Cougars have fought hard all season through adversity and injuries to get to this point and expectations were high. Unfortunately, the Cougars ran into an extremely good Bulldogs team and left the Churchill stadium with a 7-1 loss.

The Bulldogs jumped to an early lead with their first score less than 3 minutes into the game. The Churchill speedy right forward (they had at least 4 speedy forwards) dribbled down the right side of the field and sent a hard shot over our keepers head from about 20 yards out. At the 13 minute mark, Churchill sent another shot into the upper left corner of the net resulting from a breakaway for a 2-0 lead.

The one offensive play that the Cougars were able to finish resulted when Abbie Moran chased down a ball in the penalty area and won the 50-50 with the Bulldog keeper. Abbie sent in a strong shot into the empty net for her aggressive effort against the keeper. The Cougars had life in them yet and the fans were extremely hopeful that we could turn the game around.

A minute later, the Bulldogs blew by our defense on the left side and sent a smash into the net and reasserted themselves as the big dogs on the field. Two more scores from long range increased the Bulldogs lead to 5-1 by the end of the first half.

"With injuries to Julia Jones, Taylor Corydon and Julie Neveleff, I had to juggle my lineup throughout the game to find an answer to the Bulldogs relentless attack on our goal," stated Coach Alison. "I had to ask players to play in positions that they normally do not play in and at the same time find a way to get our girls to play more aggressively in the second half."

The second half was more of the same. The Bulldogs continued to play aggressively and sent multiple shots on the Cougars' goal. Sabrina Szymczak played keeper in the second half and was able to stop a number of shots that came her way. She had some beautiful saves. The only way the Bulldogs could score was to shoot from long range and send the ball high above the keepers' head, much like what they did in the first half. They scored twice this way in the second half.

"I certainly did not want to end the season this way," noted Coach Alison, "but I still feel that there were some positive lessons we can learn from this game. First of all, we fought to the end and never gave up. Secondly, many of the girls learned how important it is to play multiple positions when we have injuries to players on the team. We all have to be prepared to contribute in any position on the field for the good of the team. And finally, work ethic and practice discipline comes to mind. I think the girls learned a valuable lesson in that game preparation and execution begins with quality effort at our practices. Our girls need to reflect on this game and remember that hard work and preparation will result in good things for them in the future. I am honored to be the Cougars coach and look forward to next year where we can build upon the positive lessons we learned from this year."

MPSSAA Girls' Soccer Draw Completed and Available

MPSSAA playoff brackets were posted this morning and can be found here.

JV Patriots speed past Cougars, 4-2

The Wootton Patriots came into Quince Orchard Stadium on Saturday and defeated the JV Cougars 4-2. The Patriots' front line anchored by No. 22 was extremely fast and really tested the Cougar defense during the first half. No. 22 scored a hat trick for the Patriots.

The game started off fast and within 4 minutes the Patriots' No. 22 dribbled down the left side and sent a blazing shot into the Cougar net. Twelve minutes later the same player pulled down a long pass in the middle and scored for a 2-0 lead. Things were looking poorly for the Cougars early.

Fortunately, for the Cougars they have a shot maker on the team as well. Maddie Crow sent a beautifully struck 20 yard direct kick over the keepers' head for a score with 18 minutes remaining in the first half. Eight minutes later Vickie Alvarado sent a nice pass to the left side of the field where Jessica Konecke was able to dribble past a defender and send a rocket past the keeper to knot the game up at 2-2.

A minute later the Patriots sent a long 30 yarder into our penalty area which Jessie Wagner was able to punch away, but unfortunately the ball bounced to a Patriots player who was able to send it in for a score. With less than 2 minutes left in the half, the Patriots' No. 22 completed her hat trick with a shot from the left side to make it 4-2 in favor of the Patriots.

"The Cougars were still pumped up and excited when I had my half time chat with the girls," said Coach Alison. "I just told the girls to keep playing aggressively and fight for all of the loose balls. If we kept up the pressure we could score some more goals and beat them." "I was concerned about the Wootton player No. 22 since she had already scored three goals in the first half," stated Coach Alison. "I assigned Debra Jones to play man-to-man defense against No. 22 and I asked Debra to prevent her from touching the ball. My hope was that we could neutralize her and allow us the opportunity to pressure their end of the field."

In the second half, Coach Alison's plan worked out just as she had wanted. Debra was able to prevent No. 22 from getting any shots on goal and the Cougars' offense went to work on the Patriots throughout the second half. The Cougars had the ball in front of the Patriots net a number of times, hit the post on one crossing opportunity and really came close to scoring. As luck would have it, the Cougars were not able to get the ball in the net for a score, but they certainly gave the Patriots a run for their money.

It was a fun game to watch and the parents were extremely proud of the way our Cougars fought back to tie the score in the first half and then put on an offensive display in the second half that just fell short. The Cougars may not have won the game, but they certainly served notice to the Patriots that we could play them tough.

Coach Alison said after the game, "I thought our girls did a commendable job against the Wootton girls. They played aggressively, never gave up and really played with a lot of heart."

QO defeats Patriots in OT win

Quince Orchard came from behind to defeat the visiting Patriots from Wootton High School today 2-1. The Cougars got off to a slow start and had some problems with the ball in the midfield area. The Cougars gave up a goal in the 32 minute from a wind aided corner kick in by the Patriots. The first half ended with the score Patriots 1, Cougars 0.

The second half opened with a bit more aggressive play and possession by the Cougars. The defense held strong against the attacking Patriots while the midfield and forwards were starting to iron out the kinks and apply some pressure on the Patriot defensive line. Finally in the 32 minute of the second half, Junior forward Ele Margelos blasted a shot past the Patriot's keeper to level the score at 1-1. The game ended in a 1-1 tie in regulation time and went into Golden Goal OT.

In the first OT period the two teams seemed to trade attacking runs only to be brushed aside be each others defenders and midfields. In the waning moments of the 1st OT period Margelos sent s ball through to Junior midfielder Yvonne Latour who buried the ball in the back of the Patriot's goal. QO wins 2-1!

Go Cougars!

JV Cougars slay Trojans 5-1

Debra Jones assisted on two goals and scored two more to help the JV Cougars defeat the Gaithersburg Trojans 5-1 Thursday, 16 October 2008.

Much like their game on Monday, the lady Cougars were in control throughout the game maintaining a strong, unyielding defense and executing a relentless offensive attack. The difference in this game against the Trojans was their ability to finish and get the ball into the net.

Eight minutes into the game Debra Jones hit a shot from about 20 yards that the Trojan keeper could not handle and Abby Moran easily nailed the deflection home for the Cougars first score of the game. Abbys' movement away from the ball and her effort to attack to the far post resulted in the goal.

Julie Neveleff stole the ball at half field and threaded a beautiful pass forward to Debra Jones who faked out a couple Trojan players and slammed in a shot 15 minutes into the game for a 2-0 lead. Julies' heads up play and ability to see the field contributed to an awesome goal scoring effort.

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Cougars scored two goals in less than a minute. The first goal came when Allie Solomon dribbled down the left side of the penalty area, made the Trojan keeper commit to her and then pushed a beautiful pass to Debra who sent it into the open goal. A minute later Debra sent a nice pass forward to Allie who smashed a 15 yarder into the corner of the net for a 4-0 lead.

All of these great scoring opportunities started with our defense. Grace Toohey, Maddie Crow, Hannah Minkoff and Michaela Peterson shut down the Trojans offense and did not allow any shot on goal in the first half. The defense played extremely well together, communicated effectively and initiated a number of counterattacks.

Sara Whiteis also had a wonderful game playing in the right midfield position. She controlled her side of the field and helped to maintain pressure on our offensive side of the field throughout the game.

The Cougars were amazing in the second half as well. The ladies focus and ability to control the game continued. There were just as many shots on goal as the first half, but unfortunately we were unable to score as freely. The Trojans had most of their players in the penalty area and it was very hard to get any direct shots on goal.

The Trojans did get a goal 5 minutes into the second half off of a direct kick rebound. Jessie was able to deflect the direct kick, but the ball bounced to a Trojan player who was able to slip the ball into the net. With 5 minutes remaining in the game, the Cougars were awarded a penalty kick. Kayla sent the PK into the net for our final score and a 5-1 victory.

"WOW," Coach Alison exclaimed after the game, "our girls really pulled together today and demonstrated that they are a formidable team. Everyone had an exceptional game today and really made positive contributions to our win. I thought Debra was on fire. She really helped us get into a positive rhythm early in the game."

Coach Alison stated that "we have two tough opponents coming up next and I think our girls are prepared to give them a good game. Our defense is getting tougher with each game and our offense is starting to produce positive results and finishing on more of our scoring opportunities. I am so excited to work with the girls and look forward to our game against Wootton this Saturday."

Cougars win away against Trojans

Thursday, October 16, 2008. Gaithersburg High School

The Cougars improved their record this evening to 8-2 after defeating the Trojans at Gaithersburg High School, by the score of 2-0. The game looked to be played at a frenetic pace as the 1st minute of play found Quince Orchard deep in Gaithersburg's end of the field with a cracking shot by Leah that went just wide of the net. The next 33 minutes came at a much slower pace with QO pushing forward into the Trojan half of the field more often than not. The Cougars stuck to their plan of taking many shots on net and waiting for the right opportunity to present itself for them to score. And present itself it did in the 34th minute. Gaithersburg had a free kick and the player sent the ball deep into the Cougar defense where junior Emily D'Italia headed the ball out of the back to Sophomore Shannon Dwyer, who passed the ball forward to Junior Yvonne Latour who put the ball into the back of the Gaithersburg net to put QO up 1-0.

The second half opened much like the first half with good penetration and shot taking by the Cougars. Gaithersburg's goalkeeper was up to the task, or tasks! We did not have to wait to as long this half for QO to find the back of Gaithersburg's net, as in the 24th minute Junior Kayla Clarke sent a corner kick into the box, and Senior Lane Kurkjian's header sailed past the Trojan's keeper to put QO up 2-0.

Late in the 2nd half Coach Keiller made quite a few substitutions allowing some of the reserve players to get some time and touches on the ball. We even saw some forwards back in midfield and central defenders up in the midfield. Freshman Gabby Paolini even made an appearance in goal and touched the ball about as often ans Senior Keeper Amanda Whitney did. Which is to say, not much at all, which is what we like.


Go Cougars!

JV Cougars tie Rockets, 1-1

JV Cougars tie Rockets, 1-1

The Monday evening game between the Quince Orchard JV Cougars and the Richard Montgomery Rockets was all about ball control and defense. The Cougars controlled the ball on the field throughout the game and the Rockets' defense set up a force field around the net refusing to yield a score except for a penalty kick.

The first half of the game was all Cougars. The Cougars were relentless on their attack and sent a number of shots on goal keeping the Rockets' goal keeper on her toes. Unfortunately, the Cougars could not get the ball in the net. All of the Cougar front line and midfield players had shots at the goal in the first half.

One of the prettiest plays of the game came with just under two minutes left in the half. The Rockets were able to clear the ball out of their defensive area and send a pass forward for a breakaway on the Cougars' goal. Grace Toohey ran down the Rocket player from behind, executed a perfect shoulder charge and took the ball away sending it wide away from our goal. It was a text book example of how to clear the ball on a breakaway. Nice job Grace!

The second half was more of the same with the Cougars putting pressure on the Rockets' goal. Ten minutes into the second half, the Rockets committed a hand ball in the penalty area which resulted in a penalty kick. Kayla Hamedi deposited a well placed shot into the lower right corner of the goal for a 1-0 Cougar lead.

Six minutes later the Rockets sent a direct kick toward the Cougars' goal. Our keeper blocked the shot but the Rockets were able to send the rebound into the net for a score and a 1-1 tie. It was a beautiful kick on the part of the Rockets and they were able to aggressively challenge the Cougars in the goal area to send the shot on goal.

The next 20 minutes of the half and two 5 minute over time periods resulted in more of the same. Good opportunities by the Cougars resulted in many shots on goal, but none crossed the line for a score. The Rockets' goal keeper was on fire and was able to stop everything we sent her way.

"As I look back on the game," Coach Alison reflected, "we set out to get back to our normal controlling type of play and we accomplished just that. The girls passed well, communicated effectively, and sent a lot of shots on goal. We just ran into a keeper who was hot and would not allow us to score. I am proud of the way our girls played tonight and how they fought throughout the game."

Cougars launch Rockets

October 13, 2008 at Quince Orchard High School

It was Senior night 2008 and the Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the Richard Montgomery Rockets by the score of 3-0. A very nice pre-game recognition of this year's Cougar seniors: Heather Amato, Sarah Crim, Lane Kurkjian, Angie Powell, Jenna Scanlan, Julie Starnes and Amanda Whitney. Each player was presented with beautiful flowers and a stunning feather boa and sunglasses. It was quite the spectacle!

The game started off with the typical QO game of crisp passing and ball control and movement. The midfield had excellent control of the space and dominated the flow of the game from early on in the first half. In the 8th minute Junior midfielder Kayla Clarke sent a great ball across to Senior forward Julie Starnes who slotted the ball past the RM goal keeper to tally her first goal of the 2008 season on Senior Night! The remaining 32 minutes of play saw many other opportunities by QO go unfulfilled, including two beautiful corner kicks into the box that Senior midfielder Lane Kurkjian directed towards goal, but could not get past the Rocket's keeper. The score remained 1-0 at the half.

The second half saw more of the same, as QO continued to pass the ball well and also continued to probe the RM defense. In the 6th minute of the 2nd half Kalya Clarke got her second assist of the evening as she passed the ball to Junior forward Ele Marglos who cut inside and launched a left footed blast just inside the far post and past the outstretched arm of the keeper. QO's final goal came in the 22nd minute as Senior forward Angie Powell crossed the ball to Junior forward Leah Prentice who calmly tucked the ball away for the final goal of the evening. QO wins 3-0.

JV Cougars stung by Hornets, 0-3

The Damascus Hornets capitalized on three Cougar clearing errors to make an evenly played game worse than it really was. The final score was 0-3, but our ladies demonstrated that they could still fight to the very end and thrill the fans with some dynamic runs on the goal.

The first half was all Damascus with the Hornets setting the tone early by getting two corner kicks within the first 2 minutes of the game. The lady Hornets were aggressive, won most of the 50-50 balls, and were relentless at getting the ball into our defensive end of the field. Our defense was challenged and pressured to the point where we were booting the ball out of the penalty area rather than passing it up field in our typical controlling style passing game. We simply could not get the ball out of our end of the field very much during the first half.

After 9 minutes of play, our Cougars cleared the ball out to the middle of the field where a Hornets player sent a 30 yard shot on goal that bounced over our keepers head for the first score of the game. The Hornets second goal came with less than 2 minutes remaining in the first half. A Hornet corner kick was cleared back to the Hornets, another cross entered into the goal area and the Hornets player sent the bouncing ball into the back of our net for a 0-2 lead.

The second half was almost all Cougars. Our lady Cougars became the aggressor and really pressured the Hornets for most of the second half. We began to control the midfield and keep the ball on the offensive end of the field. When we sent the ball wide we were able to get some beautiful crosses to the front of the goal where we had plenty of opportunities to score. Unfortunately, we just could not get the ball in the net.

With just over 11:00 minutes remaining, the Hornets took advantage of another Cougar missed clearing attempt and sent a 25 yard shot into the net for the final score of the game.

"This was just one of those games where the girls could not get into a good rhythm and play sound fundamental soccer," Coach Alison noted after the game. "Our normal aggressive style of play was absent during the first half and we did not have a good passing game. I told the girls during half time that we needed to get aggressive and take control of the game in the second half."

Coach Alison was pleased with the way the Cougars responded and felt that the team worked hard to win the ball and control the game in the second half. "We were able to mount a number of challenges on goal and make it more exciting in the second half. When our girls used the width of the field we were able to spread their defense out and get more quality shot opportunities on goal."

"We did not execute as we normally do and I feel confident that if we played them again we could beat the Hornets," Coach Alison added.

Girls soccer midseason report

Nationally ranked B-CC is working hard at perfection

by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008

Eighth-year Bethesda-Chevy Chase coach Rob Kurtz has yelled at his charges more in the past week than he has all year, possibly ever. It's not that they're playing poorly; BCC is 8-0-0, three games away from its second-straight undefeated regular season, and has outscored its opponents, 54-4.

But the Barons, No. 13 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America Region IV high-school rankings, are still reeling from last year's penalty-kick loss to Urbana in the Class 3A West Region final. As this year's postseason approaches, Kurtz wants to make sure they're ready for every possible situation.

"This group is doing things at a phenomenal rate, but we know there are tougher teams out there," Kurtz said. "My job is to keep the girls focused. We're 8-0 but we can't think we're that good. I probably say things I shouldn't say; I nitpick. But that's how you make sure you're as prepared as you can be."

Most high school teams have one or two standouts. B-CC certainly has that: senior leading scorer Hannah Cooper (17 goals), U-15 U.S. National Team-member Alex Doll (7) and Victoria Gersh (5). But what really separates the Barons is their depth. Kurtz plays 17 girls with confidence. And there's not much drop-off.

B-CC isn't the only team gearing up for a strong postseason run. Blair (10-0-0), Whitman (7-1-1), Quince Orchard (6-2-0), Walter Johnson (8-2-0) and Poolesville (6-2-0) have all been strong in 2008.

Blair reached its first Class 4A West Region semifinal in 2004. It hasn't been back since, and lost in last year's quarterfinals. But the Blazers have already locked up their first division title since 1998. And, led by sophomore forward Sofie Read (12) up top and senior Annie Worden and freshman Jamie Kator in the middle, boast one of the strongest attacks in the county.

"This is probably the strongest team Blair ever put on the field," Blazers coach Bob Gibb said. "The good thing about being undefeated is it gives you confidence. The girls now feel like they can pull games out. They don't get nervous about losing."

Walter Johnson fell to Quince Orchard 3-2 in last year's regional final. With U-17 U.S. National Team player Caroline Miller, who's verbally committed to play at University of Virginia in 2009, up top, the Wildcats are always dangerous.

Whitman may be young, but it has proven to be a strong contender. It will play Walter Johnson Saturday for the Montgomery 4A West title. The Vikings are powered by speed, and smart and efficient passing combinations. Led by sophomore leading scorer Lucy Arledge (5), seniors Meaghan Doherty, Alex Berg and Retha Koefoed and sophomore goalie Hannah Meyer, Whitman has outscored its opponents 19-5, including four shutouts.

Defending Class 4A state champion Quince Orchard is always a threat. The Cougars thrive off a balanced attack helmed by Leah Prentice (6), Ele Margelos (6), Yvonne Latour (5) and Kayla Clarke (2 goals, 5 assists).

Wootton (5-3-1), Blake (6-2-1), Sherwood (3-5-0), Northwest (5-4-1), Damascus (4-3-0) and Clarksburg (4-3-0) have all had their moments in 2008 too and will look to peak as playoffs near.

Girls soccer 2008

Top teams: Bethesda-Chevy Chase (8-0-0), Blair (10-0-0)

Best offense: B-CC. The Barons have scored a county-high 54 goals, have nine players who have scored at least twice and six who have tallied four or more.

Best defense: B-CC has also shut out six of its eight opponents and has given up just four total goals, none since Sept. 19.

Pleasant surprise (individual): Sofie Read, Blair. The sophomore has exploded as the Blazers' lone striker with a team-high 12 goals, helping Blair to its first division title since 1998.

Pleasant surprise (team): Whitman. Despite their youth, the Vikings have bounced back from last year's 8-7-0 campaign with a 7-1-0 start, and will play Walter Johnson Saturday for the Montgomery 4A West Division title.

Playoff darkhorse: Quince Orchard (6-2-0). The defending Class 4A state champion hasn't been dominant in 2008, but boasts a balanced attack capable of knocking anyone off.

Cougars sting Hornets 6-2

On a cool evening at the Cougar Dome, the Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the Damascus Hornets by the score of 6-2. Back on their home field, the Cougars were back to their dominating possession style of play. The midfield for the Cougars had the game well in hand and the defense proved to be very solid allowing only the two goals by Damascus.

The Cougar offense came to life very early in the game as Junior Leah Prentice made a fantastic run down the left side 15 seconds into the first half and sent a shot just wide of the goal and the scrambling Hornets keeper. In the 9th minute Junior Yvonne Latour opened the scoring with a shot past the Damascus keeper, the assist from Junior Ele Margelos. Latour scored again in the 35th minute of the first half on an unassisted goal after a throw in by Junior Kayla Clarke. The score was 2-0 QO at the end of the first half.

The second half opened with an early goal by the Hornets. Other second half scoring came from Clarke, who made a wonderful long range shot dropping the ball in over the head of a very forward playing Hornets keeper. Margelos added to the tally by scoring the Cougars 4th goal. Damascus scored another goal from a direct kick making the score 4-2. From this point onward, the game was all QO, with two more QO goals, one by Junior Jenny Van Hook and another from Senior Angie Powell, very late in the game, moments from the referee's final whistle. The Cougars ended the game up by the score of 6-2, improving their record to the same mark of 6-2.

Cougars get by Jaguars 1-0

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Black Hole," the announcer began the evening's festivities at Northwest High School, as the Quince Orchard Cougars traveled up the street to take on the rival Jaguars. The "Black Hole" indeed was in need of some serious grounds maintenance. The field was in particularly poor shape after the heavy rains of 2 weekends ago, when the originally scheduled game was rained out. The football team really took a toll on the pitch and it was beat up to put it mildly. The conditions made it difficult for either team to get into any sort of possession rhythm, and QO's passing game was not as effective as it normally is. Both teams had some good attempts on goal including a great chance by the Jaguars very early in the first half with a wide open player skying the ball over the crossbar. QO followed with a great set piece from a corner kick taken by Junior Yvonne Latour that found Emily D'Italia's header going just wide of the mark. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the first half.

The second half featured more of the same at the start with a couple of early chances on some nice balls through to Junior Jenny Van Hook , one shot just missed wide left. Finally in the 6th minute of the second half a lovely weighted pass from Junior Kayla Clarke found the feet of a running Yvonne Latour who buried the ball in the back of the net, Cougars 1 Jaguars o. More back and forth possession by both teams with the Jaguar and Cougar defenses proving to be impenetrable.

Final score remained 1-0 in favor of your Quice Orchard Cougars. Tonight's win brings the Cougar record to 5-2.

JV Cougars lose defensive battle against the Wildcats in OT

The JV Cougars lost a defensive battle in overtime against the Walter Johnson Wildcats Saturday, 4 October 2008. The Wildcats put pressure on our goal, sent a shot off the cross bar and smashed the rebound in for a score with under a minute remaining in overtime. What a heart breaker for our young lady Cougars.

The first half of the game was all defense with limited scoring opportunities for both teams. The Cougars best opportunity came on a cross from the right side in front of the goal where Julia Jones sent a shot just over the cross bar. The Cougars also had 4 corner kicks during the first half, but were unable to capitalize on these set plays.

Defensively, the Cougar ladies played brilliantly. Morgan Dorset, Maddie Crow, Hannah Minkoff and Michaela Peterson had great games and really stymied any Wildcats efforts to shoot on goal. They kept the ball out of the goal area and initiated offensive efforts throughout the first half.

In the second half we were treated to more defensive soccer by both teams. However, in the second half the Cougars needed two absolutely brilliant saves by the keeper, Jessie Wagner, to keep the score 0-0. The Cougars were unable to generate much offense again in the second half with Kayla Hamedi sending a nice 20 yard shot on goal as our best opportunity.

The overtime was more of the same defensively and it was truly unfortunate the Cougars were unable to clear the ball at the end of the game. It was a hard fought game with both teams evenly matched throughout. In the end, the Wildcats walked away with a 0-1 win over our JV Cougars, but our ladies walked away knowing that they played a solid game.

Coach Alison said that this was one of the best teams we have played this season. "The Walter Johnson team really played an aggressive game against us and kept us from ever mounting any consistent attack on goal. We had a few chances, but we really did not get enough pressure on their goal. I was very pleased with the way we controlled our defensive end of the field and I thought our defense played an awesome game. I am extremely proud of the girls as always and know we will rebound from this loss."

Cougars drop heart breaker to WJ by the score of 4-3

The Quince Orchard Cougars lost a heart breaker tonight against the Wildcats from Walter Johnson by the score of 4-3. The Cougars record is now 4-2 with both losses being against division opponents.

The Cougars jumped out to a great start with wonderful midfield possession and passing. Early on the Cougars were very concerned with the Wildcat's scoring phenom, Caroline Miller, often dumping the ball out of bounds or over the end line, all in an effort to disrupt the WJ forward's momentum and keep her off the ball. QO got on the scoreboard first in the 12th minute with a great shot from Junior Ele Margelos that slid off the hands of WJ's keeper, Junior Roya Hakimzadeh, up into the crossbar, off Hakimzadeh's back and into the net. More great midfield play from both teams, with WJ's offense seeming to rest solely on the shoulders of Senior Caroline Miller. The Cougars gave up 3 corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of the first half, all deftly handled by QO keeper, Senior Amanda Whitney and the other QO defenders.

The Cougars handled the pressure of being very defensive and maintaining an offensive attack at the same time. In the 25th minute Miller put the Wildcats on the board with a breakaway and a shot that got past QO's keeper, Whitney. One minute later Miller scored her second talley of the evening putting the Wildcats up by the score of 2-1.

More attacking followed by the Cougars as they looked to level the score, one of the best chances was a wonderful searching ball in the 3oth minute from Margelos to Junior Leah Prentice, but Hakimzadeh came up big with the save. In the 34th minute Junior Yvonne Latour was dragged down in the box by a WJ defender and the ref awarded QO the PK. Junior Emily D'Italia took the PK and put it past WJ's keeper for the Cougar's 2nd goal. The half ended with the score tied 2-2.

The second started all QO's way. The Cougars totally dominated early and really controlled the pace and flow of the game. In the 9th minute QO pulled ahead 3-2 after a blistering left footed shot from Junior Leah Prentice, who had made a great run down the left side and cut in for the shot and goal. More nice QO possession and shooting followed, but we were unable to find the back of the net for the remainder of the second half. Some great shots from Latour, including one just over the crossbar and one just wide left past the diving Hakimzadeh.

QO's defense seemed to settle in and control WJ's Miller and WJ did not have a shot on goal in the 2nd half until the 26th minute. In the 28th minute WJ had their second attempt on goal on a corner kick, but the ball was headed away from danger by D'Italia.

WJ leveled the score in the 29th minute from an outside shot by Junior Catherine Madden. ANd in the 34th minute Senior Caroline Miller completed her hat trick and carried the ball in to the box, got past the onrushing and diving keeper Whitney and calmly slotted the ball into the back of QO's goal to seal the game at 4-3.

Cougars down Churchill 3-1

The Cougars defeated Churchill High School by the score of 3-1 on a rainy, soggy and cold Wednesday night. The Cougar fans were out in force despite the foul weather.

Churchill got out to the early lead on a goal from a corner kick that was headed in in the 2nd minute. The remaining 38 minutes of the first half saw both the Cougars and the Bulldogs moving the ball well around the midfield with both teams trying in vain to score. The score remained 1-0 at the end of the first half.

The second half saw the Cougars come to life and the scoring of Cougar goals commenced. In the 5th minute of the second half on an offside restart, a nice ball from Kayla Clarke found a running Leah Prentice who then pounded a blistering shot off the far post and into the back of the Bulldog net. The Cougar's 2nd goal came from the left foot of Leah Prentice again, her second of the evening, in the 21st minute with an assist to Yvonne Latour. The second goal set the Bulldogs back on their heels and the Cougars really dominated possession for the rest of the game. Ele Margelos scored the Cougars 3rd and final goal of the game from a "Corner Scrum" that the Churchill defenders just could not clear out of the box. Ele "snuck" in and blasted it home for the goal.

The Cougars defense was playing very well tonight as Heather, Margaret, Sami and Jenna shut down the Bulldog attack in the second half. A great late scoring opportunity by the Bulldogs was calmly saved by the on rushing Amanda Whitney who successfully closed down the angle and made a great save.

Congratulations to the Cougars, who with their teamwork, determination and persevearance, earned them a well deserved come from behind victory.

THE POST TOP 10 Girls' Soccer

Wednesday, October 1, 2008; Page E02

St. Mary's Ryken made a brief splash but exits with a loss to unranked Paul VI Catholic. Unbeaten Blair appears to be emerging as a Montgomery County power along with Bowie in Prince George's.

Team	LW
1. St. John's (D.C.) (5-1-3)	1
2. Good Counsel (6-2-1)	2
3. Spalding (9-1-2)	3
4. Quince Orchard (3-1)	4
5. B-CC (5-0)	5
6. River Hill (6-0)	6
7. Pallotti (6-2)	7
8. National Cathedral (5-0-1)	8
9. Blair (6-0)	NR
10. Bowie (5-1)	NR

Records through Monday