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.