JV Cougars Nip Jaguars, 2-1

It took two perfect plays, a team that did not give up and a dad willing to get wet to help our Cougar JV ladies pull off a 2-1 victory over the visiting Northwest Jaguars on Saturday.

Before the game even started, Mike 'Squeegee' Moran worked diligently to rid the sideline of excess water resulting from the overnight rain storm. His efforts helped to make the field playable by game time which was greatly appreciated by everyone.

The first half of the game was played in the middle of the field with very little offense generated by both teams. The Jaguars were able to send two shots toward goal and the Cougars were able to respond with two shots of their own just before the end of the first half. With wet field conditions and slippery footing the lady Cougars were unable to control the ball as they normally do.

The second half was much different than the first. The Cougars began to attack and send shots on goal. Unfortunately for the Cougars a miscue in the center circle resulted in a Jaguars breakaway goal five minutes into the second half.

The Cougar ladies did not give up and they continued to push hard as a team. With just over 23 minutes remaining Debra Jones grabbed a loose ball in the center circle and sent a beautifully paced pass forward in front of Allie Solomon who sent a lovely low drive into the net to even up the game at 1-1. "That was a perfect play," Coach Alison stated at the end of the game. "It got us back on track and really helped us take control of the game."

For the next 15 minutes the Cougars unleashed an onslaught of shots toward goal. Shots were taken by many of the ladies, while our defenders were able to help keep the ball on the Cougars offensive end. After three successive corner kicks the Cougars were fouled just outside the left corner of the goal area. Coach Alison called for Maddie Crow to take the direct kick. Maddie sent the perfect shot over the keeper's head for a 2-1 lead.

Coach Alison was very happy at the end of the game and said, "The girls really pulled together as a team today. Northwest is a very good team and our Cougars stepped up when they needed to, to pull off this wonderful come from behind victory. I thought our defenders did a great job today. They worked well together and with the exception of the Jaguar's one goal never gave up any meaningful shots on goal."

We may not have had perfect field conditions, but the Cougars pulled off a comeback with a couple of perfect plays executed by a cohesive, hard working group of young ladies..... and as for Mike Moran, he was able to go home and dry off knowing that he helped to make the field playable for our young lady Cougars. Cougar girls -- our "pride" ... well done everyone!

THE POST TOP 10 Girls' Soccer

THE POST TOP 10

Girls' Soccer

Wednesday, September 24, 2008; Page E08

O'Connell, which lost twice, and Urbana, still winless, exit the poll as National Cathedral, St. Mary's Ryken and Elizabeth Seton enter.

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

Records through Monday

JV Cougars control Springbrook Blue Devils 3-0

Abby Moran netted a pair of goals as the Quince Orchard JV Cougars defeated the Springbrook Blue Devils 3-0 Monday.

In less than a minute, the Cougars were on the scoreboard when Allie Solomon snaked a pass to the left side of the goal area where Abby Moran deposited the ball in the lower left corner for her first score. The tone of the game was set early with this score and for the rest of the game the Cougars relentlessly put pressure on the Blue Devils goal.

The JV Cougars played a very controlled passing game and kept the Blue Devils on their heels for the entire match. In fact, the Blue Devils never made it down to our defensive end of the field and our keepers never touched the ball. Our defense was rock solid and the midfielders controlled the middle of the field.

Time and time again, the Cougar ladies drove down the sides of the field and crossed the ball in front of the Blue Devils' goal, but were unable to capitalize. At the 26:30 mark of the game, Debra Jones sent a nice cross from the left side over to Allie Solomon who sent a pretty shot into the net for the second score of the game.

Just before the half, Kayla Hemedi moved the ball down the right and crossed the ball in front of the net to Abby Moran who sent a tough angled shot past the keeper for her second goal of the game and the third for the Cougars.

During the second half, the Cougars continued to pressure the Blue Devils' goal that resulted in numerous near misses, close calls, and "how did that not go in" comments from the fans. Unfortunately, try as they might, the JV Cougar ladies could not finish on many scoring opportunities in the second half.

After a dominating first half, Coach Alison mixed it up a bit and had a number of the Cougar ladies play in positions that they normally do not play. Defenders were getting shots toward goal and offensive players were getting a chance to defend and send the ball back up field. All of the players responded well to their position changes and really played hard.

Grace Toohey had a wonderful game on the right as a defender and helped initiate a number of the scoring opportunities for the Cougars. Grace shut down any Blue Devils attempt on her side of the field.

Coach Alison was very pleased with her JV Cougars and how they came together as a team. "We had a couple of injured players today and I was forced to change my line up a bit. Fortunately, our girls were up to the task and played well in their new positions. I was pleased with the girls overall ball control and efforts to put pressure on goal. We did not finish on a number of opportunities, but that is something we can work on in practice. Overall, we had a very positive team effort."

QO tops Springbrook 7-1

The Cougars topped a scrappy Springbrook team this evening by the score of 7-1. With goals scored by 5 different players, using a variety of attacks, from coordinated linked play, to a scrappy loose ball goal and even a PK! Tallying goals tonight for QO were the following players: Kayla Clarke, Ele Margelos (2), Leah Prentice, Yvonne Latour (2) and Lane Kurkjian.

With QO out to a comfortable lead, Coach Keiller was free to try some on field variations from the normal positions. The girls looked very relaxed tonight and maintained their normal possessive game. Some very clean passing and great goal keeping from freshman Gabby Paolini allowed the Cougars to totally dominate the team from Springbrook.

Great Game Cougars! Let's take the energy into this weekend's game against Northwest!

THE POST TOP 10 Girls' Soccer

THE POST TOP 10

Girls' Soccer

Wednesday, September 17, 2008; Page E03

St. John's clings to the top spot despite coaching turmoil. . . . Quince Orchard falls one spot with a loss at Whitman on Saturday. . . . Perennial power River Hill also enters for the first time this year, at No. 10.

Team	*LW
1. St. John's (D.C.) (2-1-3)	1
2. O'Connell (6-1-1)	2
3. Spalding (4-0-1)	5
4. Quince Orchard (1-1)	3
5. Urbana (0-1-1)	4
6. Pallotti (3-1)	6
7. B-CC (2-0)	7
8. Good Counsel (2-1-1)	8
9. Paul VI Catholic (4-1)	10
10. River Hill (1-0)	NR

Records through Monday

The Gazette: QO girls soccer tops Sherwood, 2-0

Prentice, Margelos find the net as Cougars rebound from loss

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

The Quince Orchard girls soccer team bounced back from Saturday's 1-0 loss to Whitman with a 2-0 win at Sherwood Tuesday night.

The victory meant more to the Cougars (2-1-0) than just a notch in the win column; it avenged two consecutive regular-season losses to the Warriors (1-1-0).

"Sherwood has kind of been a team that's had our number in the regular season," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "We definitely wanted to come in and make sure that didn't happen again…

"We were really unhappy with our performance against Whitman and we wanted to go back to playing the way we normally do. We like to do a lot of quick combinations and work the ball around to spring people forward on runs."

Quince Orchard imposed itself quickly with two first-half goals. Junior Leah Prentice put the Cougars on top, 1-0, in the 12th minute, finishing a cross from sophomore midfielder Yvonne Latour for her second goal of 2008.

Junior forward Ele Margelos finished another beauty from Latour in the 14th minute to increase Quince Orchard's lead to 2-0. It was her first goal of the year, after scoring seven each in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

The Cougars employed their quick-touch style of offense efficiently to keep the young Warriors under constant pressure. Quince Orchard controlled the pace of Tuesday's contest effectively and maintained possession on offense for a good portion of the evening.

Quince Orchard tallied nearly 30 shots on goal, 17 of them in the second half, when the Cougars really took control.

The Warriors, who thrive off a more power-based attack, did create some scoring chances of their own. But they were unable to convert.

Third-year starting goalie, junior Rachel Lewis, kept Sherwood close with 15 astounding saves. She drew gasps from the crowd after saving two attempts from Latour and Margelos in the second half from within two yards of her face.

"[Quince Orchard] passes the ball extremely well," Sherwood coach Frank Weaver said. "They played a lot more aggressively than we did. But if a loss can be good, that was a good loss. We can learn a lot from it. It's early in the season and it was against a good team."

QO uses their heads on the way to their 2nd win.

The Cougars traveled to Sandy Spring to play the Warriors of Sherwood High School Tuesday night, and through two goals by headers emerged with the victory 2-0. In their first game since their defeat at Whitman the Cougars were anxious early to prove themselves to each other and the world. Out to their possession style of offense early, the Cougars quickly dominated the play and had numerous scoring chances from a wide variety of situations throughout the contest. But it was the combination of Yvonne Latour and Leah Prentice that struck in the 12th minute. Leah scored a beautiful header from a great cross in from Yvonne. Two minutes later Latour puts another ball in, this time to Ele Margelos for another goal off of a header.

The Cougars then settled in to protect their lead, while at the same time continuing to generate tremendous offensive pressure. There were great shots from outside, fantastic balls through, great loose ball hustle, all leading to many shots on goal by the Cougars. The Warriors keeper had a tremendous game and kept the goals to just the two in the first half. The Cougar's defense and keeper proved to be equally stingy and thwarted every attempt at a goal by the Warriors.

Tonight's game was a great team victory, and congratulations to all involved.

Cougar JV teams impressive win against Warriors, 4-0

by Bob Jones

The Cougar JV ladies turned in a beautiful team performance Tuesday night against the Sherwood Warriors. From the onset of the match, the Cougars were focused and played together as a team. Communications between players was positive and helpful, passing and movement was fluid, and the overall energy level was high.

During the first 25 minutes of the game the Cougars pressured the Warriors and kept the ball on the offensive end of the field. With 12 minutes remaining in the first half Kayla Hamedi sent a long, high cross from the right side that landed just under the cross bar for our first score. What a beautiful kick! With less than a minute to play in the first half Sabrina Szymczak sent a nice pass to Jessica Konecke who dribbled up the left side and kicked a lovely low shot past the keeper for the second Cougar goal.

“I was extremely pleased with all of the Cougars in the first half. Unlike the first two games, the Cougars came out fast and were relentless and extremely focused,” Coach Alison stated. “I thought Maddie Crow was on fire during the first half and she really helped to keep the ball out of our defensive half of the field. She had her ‘A” game today.”

The Warriors pressured the Cougars for the first 5 minutes of the second half and really tested our keeper, Jessie Wagner for the first time in the game. The Cougars recovered from their slow start of the second half and proceeded to pressure the Warriors for the remainder of the game.

With 14 minutes remaining in the game Vicki Alvarado recovered a ball in the goal area and sent a low shot into the left corner of the net for the Cougars third score. Sabrina worked her magic again with less than a minute remaining and threaded a beautiful pass forward to Ally Solomon who then scored on a well placed shot. The whistle blew and the Cougar JV ladies had their first win of the season.

Coach Alison was very complimentary of everyone on the team. “All of the Cougar ladies played well and contributed to the team win. Practically every lady on the team had a shot at goal and if they didn’t shoot made some amazing defensive plays to keep the ball in the offensive half of the field. I loved watching the Cougars play today. They played with heart and poise. They were patient and disciplined and never lost faith in their abilities. I am very proud of the Cougars.”

The Cougar ladies really gelled as a team against the Warriors and played a very nice game of soccer!

JV Cougars Fall Flat Against Whitman Vikings, 0-3

by Bob Jones

Did you ever wakeup and just feel like you have no energy? The JV Cougar ladies woke up on Saturday and try as they might could not seem to muster the energy needed to take on a strong JV Whitman Vikings team. The Cougars were excited and they really tried their hardest, but things just did not seem to click for them throughout the game.

The game started on a beautiful morning at the Quince Orchard soccer field with both teams putting some pressure on each other early. The Vikings threaded some beautiful passes to get up field, but were unable to capitalize with any solid shots. Our Cougars moved up field and put some heat on the Vikings keeper that resulted in two corner kick opportunities, but our Cougars were unable to get a shot on goal.

At the 16:00 minute mark, the Vikings were able to grab an early lead off of a Cougar misdirected pass and send a nice controlled shot on goal. The Cougars pressed on and did not let up, but the team just seemed to be a half step off the ball and were a bit late at winning the 50-50 balls. The Cougar passes were not as crisp as they normally are and team communications, normally a strong suit of the Cougars, was just not as helpful and focused.

Coach Alison was pleased with the way Michaela Peterson played and how she helped initiate some solid attacks on goal for the Cougars. “Michaela’s aggressive play helped our team stay in the game.” Coach Alison thought Kayla Hamedi had a good game and she was happy with her efforts to pressure the Vikings throughout the game.

It only took 4 minutes into the second half for the next score of the game. Unfortunately, after Jessie Wagner made a shot save the ball bounced back towards our own net where two Cougar players met to clear the ball and unluckily the ball bounced off a Cougar player into our own net for a Vikings score.

With 14 minutes left in the game, the Vikings took the ball down the left side of the field and kicked a nice hard 10 yard shot on goal for the third goal of the game. Down 0-3, the Cougars fought on and continued to drive toward the Whitman goal. Allie Solomon and Abby Moran were tough up front and sent a number of shots towards goal, but were just off the mark.

After the game, Coach Alison spoke with the Cougars and said, “Although it is disappointing to lose, I think that many of you played extremely well. I can tell that you have a lot of heart. Walt Whitman and QO are evenly matched, and I don't think that the 3-0 score indicates how well you played; however, the Vikings finished their scoring opportunities, and we did not (we came close!)”

At the end of the game, our Cougar ladies were gracious in defeat and congratulated the Vikings for a well played game. Anyone can be gracious in victory, but it takes a mature, well-rounded athlete to hold their heads up high after losing a game. Our Cougar ladies exhibited wisdom and elegance that the Cougar parents can be proud of!

The Gazette: QO girls soccer open repeat bid with win

Defending state champion Cougars top Poolesville, 3-0
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 - by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

The Quince Orchard girls soccer team couldn't get the ball in the back of the net in the first half of Wednesday's season-opener against Poolesville. But still, the Cougars trotted to the sideline at halftime up 1-0 in Gaithersburg.

Poolesville's own-goal in the 36th minute gave the Cougars the slight lead; just enough cushion for them to compose themselves. Quince Orchard scored twice in the second half to clinch a 3-0 victory.

After rain cancelled their first two contests, the defending Class 4A state champion Cougars were anxious to kick off 2008. Early-season jitters were evident in their slow start Wednesday, but they ultimately subsided.

"The first game you're always a little rusty," junior midfielder Kayla Clarke said. "I think we were a little excited at the beginning, our passes were going too far, but after a while we settled into the game. After you get a goal, you always seem to relax a little, you get more creative and goals start falling. I think this was a great way to start our season."

Last season was all about Quince Orchard getting back to the state final, where it suffered a last-minute defeat in 2006. The Cougars achieved that goal with the program's second state title, but their appetite hasn't been satiated.

"Oh, we definitely want another state title this year," Clarke said. "We know we have a target on our back and that everyone wants to beat us. But knowing everyone wants to beat us makes us want to beat them even more."

The Cougars had a few question marks coming into 2008; namely, where their scoring was going to come from after the strike force was hit by graduation. But Quince Orchard had no trouble pushing forward and creating opportunities Wednesday.

Led by Clarke, junior forward Ele Margelos, junior midfielder/forward Emily D'Italia and junior midfielder Yvonne Latour, the Cougars implemented their possession offense efficiently. They outshot Poolesville, 16-6, and finished two good chances: D'Italia and junior defender Leah Prentice found the back of the net in the second half of Wednesday's contest.

"At halftime we talked to the girls and told them, ‘If you put enough pressure on a team, things like [the own goal] are bound to happen,'" Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "That's kind of been our mantra; if you create enough chances, one is bound to go in."

Wednesday's result wasn't exactly what Poolesville had in mind for its season-opener. But things could have been a lot worse.

The Falcons actually improved on last year's 6-0 loss to Quince Orchard. And, though young, they displayed mental tenacity after the unfortunate own-goal put them in a hole.

Senior forward Megan Brown and junior forward Stephanie Boulter teamed to help Poolesville create several scoring chances of its own. But the Falcons are young and still hesitant in the final third.

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about this game in terms of number of goals," second-year Poolesville coach Christina Mann said. "I mean, it'd be better if we'd won but I felt like this was a 0-0 game the entire time. We had opportunities. We need to be better about the final pass up top and learn to be in the right place at the right time. I think this game showed us we can play with anyone."

Cougars Post Their 1st Win 3-0

September 10, 2008, Gaithersburg, MD

The Cougars tallied their first win of the 2008 campaign against the visiting team, the Falcons from Poolesville High School. The Cougars jumped out to an early comfortable possession style game. The midfield was controlling the ball well, the defense was playing very solidly, and the forwards were making early connections with each other and the midfield. Several early scoring opportunities occurred with some great passing and shots by a variety of players. Nice crosses in for headers, great hustle to loose balls, and even a footrace between Ele Margelos and the PHS keeper. Finally in the 35th minute of the first half, Shannon Dwyer had a shot on goal deflected by a PHS defender that got past the keeper for the own goal. The Cougars were up 1-0 at the half.

The second half saw more of the same great play with the defense, midfield and forwards all linking well together. The defense was very patient and composed today turning aside all attacks by the Falcons. The Cougars scored two goals in the second half, both nice longer range shots. The first was a nicely set up booming left footed goal from Leah Prentice, the second a long dribble and score by Emily D'Italia.

The final 20 minutes of the game was all the Cougars, as we settled in and really kept the ball in our possesion. A few nice saves from Amanda Whitney late in the second half, including a nail biting save from an errant QO defender's clearing header.

Great team play today was the factor in the Cougar's win. Coach Keiller is leading the girls off to another great start in 2008.

JV Come Back to Tie Poolesville 2-2

by Bob Jones

Emotions, mixed as they may be, were running high before, during and after the Cougar Junior Varsity soccer game Wednesday evening at the Quince Orchard Soccer Field. Sitting in the stands before the game I realized the tension in the air was felt only by the parents. The lady Cougars were gleeful and were running from hug to hug renewing friendships and sharing their summer highlights with many of their friends from Poolesville. What a delight to see our young ladies enjoying themselves before the game with their competitors.

When the whistle blew to start the game the teams played cautiously and pretty much kept the ball in the middle of the field. As the game progressed the Cougars began to put pressure on the Poolesville goal with some wonderful give and goes, crosses, and breakaways. We came close many times during the first half but the ball just seemed to go wide or high and miss the goal. The good news was we were getting pressure on goal, but the bad news was we just were not getting it in the net.

Our defense was solid and really held the Poolesville ladies off until the middle of the first half when they had a corner kick opportunity. Allie from Poolesville took the corner kick and nailed a beautiful kick into the net that Beckham surely would have been proud of. Ten minutes later Poolesville struck again with Allie hitting a 25-yard hard shot just over the fingertips of our keeper to put our Cougars down 0-2.

The second half began and somehow you just new something good was going to happen. The Cougars unleashed a fierce attack on the Poolesville goal and really began to dominate play on the field. There were brilliant passes, heads up plays and the girl's proactive communications helped the team gel and increase their intensity of play. Yet we still could not find the net on our shots. Finally at about the 15 minute mark, Debra Jones was able to take a pass just outside the goal area and unleash a hard shot over the keepers head for the Cougars first goal. Oh my, the Cougar fans in the stands were beginning to believe that our young ladies could make a come back.

The Cougars did not disappoint the fan faithful as they continued their relentless attack on goal and 10 minutes later, Vickie Alvarado was able to capitalize on an intense push on goal and slam home a wicked shot that went in just beyond the outstretched hands of the Poolesville keeper.

For the rest of the game and after two 5 minute overtime periods, the Cougars continued their tenacious drive to score again. They came close a number of times, but were just off the mark. An inch here or a foot there and we could have seen some additional scores by our Cougars.

And how about that defense! The Cougars defense anchored by Morgan Dorset really limited the Poolesville attack. The defense was able to shut down breakaway opportunities and turn the ball back up field to renew the attack on the Poolesville end. The Cougar defense had a huge impact on the game and really helped to control the time of possession and initiate counter-attack opportunities. Well done defense!

When the final whistle sounded, the Cougars tied Poolesville 2-2 with a 25-3 shot on goal differential. More importantly, the QO and Poolesville ladies demonstrated that they are a class act with their outstanding sportsmanship on the field. They also shared with us all a very important life lesson…..you can be friends with the other team and have an absolutely wonderful time before, during and after the game with your friends.

Washington Post - Top 10

Wednesday, September 10, 2008; Page E08

As Walter Johnson exits, Paul VI Catholic enters with a tie against top-ranked St. John's and a win over St. Mary's Ryken. Urbana's loss was to O'Connell.

Top 10

Team	LW
1. St. John's (D.C.) (1-0-2)	1
2. O'Connell (4-1)	2
3. Quince Orchard (0-0)	3
4. Urbana (0-1)	4
5. Spalding (2-0)	5
6. Pallotti (2-0)	6
7. B-CC (0-0)	7
8. Good Counsel (3-0)	8
9. Georgetown Visitation (0-0)	9
10. Paul VI Catholic (2-1)	NR

ESPN RISE FAB 50 girls' soccer rankings

Cougar Soccer was ranked 32 in the nation by ESPN! See excerpt below and follow the link to full ranking

ESPNRISE.com

Updated: September 9, 2008

ESPN will release the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national girls' soccer rankings each Tuesday of the regular season and playoffs, continuing through the final games of the various state playoffs around the nation. Check out the state-by-state rankings here.

A tie by Strongsville (Ohio) and eye-opening wins by St. Ursula (Ohio), Pennington Prep (N.J.) and McDonogh (Md.) resulted in a reshuffling of this week's ESPN Rise FAB 50 top 10.

Rankings through matches played as of Sept. 7.

Rankings: Preseason | Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Preseason rankings: Nos. 26-50

Rk.	School (City, State)	Record	Prv.
26	Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio)	4-0-1	NR
27	Noblesville (Noblesville, Ind.)	5-0-1	29
28	Zionsville (Zionsville, Ind.)	6-0-2	32
29	Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.)	4-1-0	10
30	Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)	3-1-0	20
31	DuPont Manual Louisville, Ky.)	7-0-0	NR
32	Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.)	0-0-0	30
33	Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.)	1-0-0	33
34	Edina (Edina, Minn.)	6-0-0	34

The Gazette: Quince Orchard profile

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 - by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

Quince Orchard Cougars

Head coach: Peg Keiller, 10th year

Last year's record: 17-2-0

Last state title: 2007 (2nd)

Players to watch: Ele Margelos (Jr., F), Amanda Whitney (Sr., G), Kayla Clarke (Jr., M), Emily D'Italia (Jr., F)

The Gazette: Title hopes abound for girls all around the area

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 - by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

Fall signifies the start of the new school year; a chance for continued success in the classroom or to start anew.

It also marks the start of the Montgomery County girls soccer season, an opportunity for perennial powers to maintain their supremacy or for struggling teams to begin with a new slate.

Everyone starts with the same mission each year, whether a realistic goal or not: to win the season-ending state tournament or conference title.

But in a county ripe with soccer talent, that's easier said than done.

It was mission accomplished for Quince Orchard in 2007. The Cougars set a championship goal and didn't rest until they had won the state's Class 4A title. After losing to St. Mary's County's Leonardtown on a last-minute goal in the '06 state final, Quince Orchard's penalty-kick win over Harford County's C. Milton Wright last fall gave the Cougars their first state title since '02, and second overall.

Quince Orchard lost seven seniors from that state championship squad, including its two leading scorers. But it returns 12 players, seven of them starters.

Per usual, the Cougars midfield and backline figure to be impenetrable. Senior goalie Amanda Whitney, who tallied six saves per game a year ago, returns between the pipes. Junior midfielder Kayla Clarke (5 goals, 7 assists) is back to control the middle.

The biggest question mark for Quince Orchard will be scoring. With their two go-to players — Ariel Nehemiah (15 goals, 7 assists) and Christie Shell (11 goals, 5 assists) — gone, someone is going to have to pick up the scoring slack.

Speedy junior Ele Margelos could be this year's breakout scorer. She scored eight goals in each her freshman and sophomore years, is often the fastest player on the field and possesses good ball-handling skills. Junior Emily D'Italia has moved from midfield to striker and has done a good job in the preseason.

The Cougars have previously relied on good passing and possession-style offense, and they'll do more of the same this year. Organizing their new attack line will go a long way in determining their offensive output.

"It always helps to have a couple of external things you want to win for," Cougars coach Peg Keiller said. "Last year, we were so determined to reverse what had happen in the state final the year before. But I think the girls would definitely like to experience winning a state title again, yeah."

Everything had gone so smoothly for B-CC last fall. The Barons completed their first-ever undefeated regular season and were seeded No. 1 in the 3A West Region playoffs. They cruised to the final, en route to what appeared to be climaxing in their sixth state tournament since 2001. But their season ended abruptly, in penalty kicks, in a second regional final loss to Urbana in five years.

Images of that heart-wrenching loss provide all the motivation the Barons need in 2008. B-CC graduated eight players but returns a solid core of talent, including senior forward and three-year leading scorer Hannah Cooper (13 goals).

Senior midfielders Zita DePetris and Hilary Goldman return after both were sidelined with injury for the majority of 2007. Sophomore forward Alex Doll scored six goals as a freshman and has spent the summer training with the U-15 U.S. National Team.

B-CC is an overall speedy bunch, feisty and fearless. It spreads the field nicely but can also storm the middle. Likely the deepest bunch in the county, the Barons thrive off wearing their opponents down, dissecting defenses and pouncing.

Walter Johnson enters 2008 fresh off its best season since '02. And the Wildcats only lost five players from that squad. Caroline Miller (25 goals, 13 assists), the program's all-time leading scorer wit]h 62 career goals, and junior Catherine Madden will lead the Wildcats' attack.

Miller — a U.S. U-17 National Team player who has committed to the University of Virginia — has become a more complete player, willing to pass the ball around and set her teammates up to score. And she's gotten better on defense. That should set the tone for the team.

Seniors Mitra Ebrahimi and Tess Petesch, along with goalies Roya Hakimzadeh and Jessica Goldstone, are back to helm Walter Johnson's defense.

Churchill came on strong towards the end of last season to reach its second-straight regional semifinal. The Bulldogs graduated 10 players and took a hit when Pam Vranis (6 goals, 18 assists) tore her anterior cruciate ligament. Vranis contributed to 24 of Churchill's 35 total goals.

To fill that void, the Bulldogs will count on juniors Jackie Nolan and Kelly Foster. Senior midfielder Yasmina Hussein returns to the lineup after spending 2007 sidelined with injury. Sophomores Rachel Marincola and Alexis Shay will anchor the Bulldog defense.

Whitman has fallen off slightly since reaching its second state final in 2005. But with nine players returning to the lineup in '08, the Vikings are looking to contend for the 4A West Region title.

Four-year varsity player and midfielder/forward Retha Koefoed, along with junior Kathryn Barth, make a dangerous scoring tandem up top. But Whitman's entire back line, helmed by first-year goalie Hannah Meyer (just a sophomore), is new. Consequently, the Vikings must tighten up their defense early if they're going to make a strong run.

After an 8-0, season-opening loss to Whitman last season, Rockville went on a six-week tear to take its first division title since 2001. The Rams gave up only four goals in that time, scoring 11 of their own.

Rockville has increased its win total in each of the last three seasons. And though they lost seven talented seniors from that squad, they return a solid 10-person core capable of keeping that trend alive.

The Rams' defense took the biggest hit, but stalwart junior goalie Julia Cosmos is back, ready to anchor Rockville's defense. Last year's leading scorer, senior Michelle Carter (5 goals) returns to the front of the Rams' attack, while senior Jen Civick will general the midfield.

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is likely the strongest in the Metropolitan area. And Holy Cross is no longer content finishing in the middle of the pack.

First-year Tartans coach Nelson Abreu joins Holy Cross after eight years as an assistant coach with rival Good Counsel. He's eager to try and get the Tartans to that level, among the top teams in the WCAC.

But he and his charges know it's a process, and this year is the first step. Holy Cross is led up top by junior playmaker Colleen Din, who's supported in the midfield by senior Rachel Webber. Senior Julia Parker is back in goal and senior Abby Murray will anchor the Tartans' defense.

In 2007, Holton-Arms was good enough to stay in the Independent School League's upper division. Scoring will be a struggle: Holton lost its two leading scorers from the last three years. But once players start feeling comfortable attacking the goal, become more willing to take risks and take shots, the Panthers should be able to compete well against the ISL's best teams.

Holton is led by a host of returning seniors, including midfielders Lindsay Robinson and Cailen Spingler, forward Tia Marston, and defenders Julianna Nunnenkemp and Georgia Anas.

QO Varsity Girls Defeat Thomas Johnson 1-0 in Last Pre-Season Scrimmage

On Tuesday afternoon the Cougars played the last of their pre-season scrimmages. Coach Keiller tried many different combinations of players to see who fits best where and to rest some of the players who are suffering some minor early injuries. The game's lone goal came very early on from a corner kick delivered from Yvonne Latour to the head of Emily D'Italia and into the back of the net. This is a scoring combination we have seen before, and hope to see many times in the future. The Cougars had plenty of other scoring opportunities ranging from nice searching balls into the penalty area with players running on to them, to great long range shots from outside the penalty area as well. This demonstrates the Cougars ability to score on many different opportunities that will keep our opponents on their toes, as they struggle to defend against the Cougars awesome arsenal of scoring potential. The Thomas Johnson Patriots had several late scoring opportunities themselves, all of them deftly turned aside by Freshman GK Gabby Paolini.

Schedule Update - Sept 13th at Whitman

The game at Whitman has been moved up to 5:00 PM (was 10am).

Schedule Update - Sept 6th Tournament

The final schedule for the Tournament of Champions, hosted by Tuscarora Titans, has been posted:
1:15 pm vs Severna Park
5:30 pm vs Leonardtown
Ticket information is available:

• $5 for both games of the day (will get stamped)
• $4 adult for one game
• $2 for students