Quince Orchard Girls Soccer

Yvonne Latour (QO '10) Scores in SMCM Win

2011-09-03T11:27:00.002-04:00

http://www.smcmathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2011-12/releases/20110902alhe1h

TRYOUTS ARE APPROACHING!

2011-06-07T17:58:00.002-04:00

Tryouts for the fall of 2011 will begin on August 13. All players must have submitted an up-to-date physical and parent/student permission form before being able to step on the field. Please email Coach Keiller for more information.

QOsoccer@comcast.net

New photos posted

2010-11-07T08:29:00.004-05:00

Pictures of the senior night game against Northwest and the South Hagerstown playoff games are posted.

Cheers Becky!

For most of the photos for the season, follow these links:

Cougars Move on to Region Semifinals

2010-11-03T10:49:00.002-04:00

The #4 seed QO girls' soccer team advanced to the Maryland 3A West Region semifinals with a 3-1 penalty kick decision over the visiting Clarksburg Coyotes. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the run of play, as regulation and two overtimes ended 0-0.

Though clearly not playing their best soccer, the Cougars still managed to create several quality scoring opportunities. In the first half, junior forward Jessica Konecke broke free on the left, and smashed a left-footed shot off the crossbar. Senior Sami Slonim was in perfect position to follow, but her header attempt was also denied by the pipe. A few minutes later, junior midfielder Allie Solomon broke through the middle but her attempt went just high. In the second half, Konecke again had the better of the Cougar's chances, but hit one shot just wide and forced the Clarksburg GK into a save. The save of the game, however, belonged to QO's junior goalkeeper Gabby Paolini. Though the QO defense had made it difficult for the Coyotes to have many quality chances at goal, they conceded a foul in the box to set up a penalty kick for Clarksburg with about 12 minutes remaining in the match. The shot went towards the left side netting, but Paolini dove the right way, covered a lot of ground, and pushed the ball wide to keep the Cougars alive.

Regulation ended 0-0, as did both overtimes, sending the match to be decided by penalty kicks. Clarksburg shot first, and this time was able to get the ball past Paolini to take a 1-0 lead. Freshman midfielder Mary McMeekin channeled her sister Maureen's 2007 PK magic and safetly put the ball away to tie the shootout at 1-1. In the 2nd round, Paolini made a diving save to her left to deny the Clarksburg attempt. Junior defender Morgan Dorset then calmly nailed her shot to put the Cougars up 2-1. In the 3rd round, the Clarksburg player put her shot neatly into the top right corner, and Paolini didn't move. While the Coyotes celebrated, Paolini explained to the referee that he hadn't blown the whistle to start the shot. The Clarksburg player had to return to the spot, and this time went to the upper right, where the ball nicked off the crossbar and went safetly out of play. Sophomore forward Lauren Holdsworth then stepped up to the spot and put her shot into the back of the net to push the Cougar lead to 3-1. The pressure was on the Coyotes, as they had to make their 4th shot to force a 5th round, or even a 4th kick by QO. But Paolini had other plans, saving the kick and sending the Cougars into celebration. Paolini finished with 5 saves on the night, including saving 3 of 4 penalty kicks that Clarkburg put on goal.

The Region Semifinals will be held 3:00 pm on Thursday, Nov. 4th at host and #1 seed Damascus High School. During the regular season, the Cougars overcame an early goal in a hard-fought match to defeat the Hornets, 3-1, in a game that essentially clinched the division title for QO. The Hornets will enter as favorites at 12-2-1.

QO Defeats South Hagerstown to Move on to Quarterfinals

2010-10-30T20:50:00.002-04:00

On a chilly Saturday morning, the Quince Orchard girls' soccer team opened up the 2010 playoff campaign with a first round win over visiting South Hagerstown, 5-0.

Shannon Dwyer, in her second game back from a 5-week injury, opened up the scoring in the 9th minute. Timing her run through the back line, Dwyer receive a ball from fellow senior Sami Slonim, calmly advanced toward goal, and slotted the ball to the left corner. After several good opportunities, the Cougars added to the tally in the 27th minute. Following South Hagerstown's one shot of the game, a save by Gabby Paolini, and a resulting corner kick, Kelly Whiteis sent a long clearance over midfield just beyond a waiting Jessica Konecke. Konecke outpaced her defender and finished with a solid left footed shot into the right corner. QO went into the half up 2-0.

In the second half, QO cleaned up their game a bit and enjoyed more long stretches of possession. The Cougars made the possession count in the 60th minute, when Whiteis delivered a ball into the middle of the box to a waiting Maddie Crow. Crow took one touch in the air and with composure, knocked the ball into the net for her first goal of her QO career (congrats MADDIE!). QO added to the tally in the 64th minute, when Allie Solomon delivered one of her many excellent balls into the box. Mary McMeekin jumped high to head the ball just over the advancing SH goalkeeper. The Cougars closed out the scoring in the 65th minute. On her 4th corner kick of the game, Morgan Dorset sent her typical dangerous ball into the middle of the box. Dwyer made an excellent run at goal, jumping in front of the GK, just unable to reach the ball. However, in the confusion of Dwyer's run, the GK was unable to collect the ball and knocked it into her own net.

The Cougars move on the 3A West Quarterfinals. They will host Clarksburg on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 4 PM. During division play on Sept. 24, QO defeated Clarksburg 2-1 in overtime, after being under 2 minutes from losing the game in regulation. This sets up what should be a well-played and hard-fought rematch.

More photos!

2010-10-26T22:31:00.002-04:00

The players look like pros in some of these shots.
Watkins Mill
Wootton
Seneca Valley
Enjoy!

Playoff Draw is Out

2010-10-26T10:54:00.002-04:00

QO has earned the 4th seed in the Maryland 3A West Region. They will open up playoffs by hosting South Hagerstown in a first round match Saturday, October 30, at 10 am. The link to the complete 3A bracket is below.

http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/fallsports/girlssoccer/3A%20GSOC%2010.pdf

Cougars pull upset with help from an unlikely source

2010-10-12T09:05:00.002-04:00

Quince Orchard knocks off previously unbeaten Damascus 3-1
by Joey Sabet Special to The Gazette

Coming into Monday's game against Quince Orchard, the Damascus girls soccer team won its first eight games of the season by a combined margin of 47-2.

However, without perhaps its biggest impact player in Shannon Dwyer due to injury, the Cougars didn't panic despite an early goal from Damascus and rallied for two second half goals, one from a freshman, for the 3-1 upset.

Quince Orchard (5-4 overall, 4-0 Montgomery 3A) isn't used to being the underdog, but after graduating a solid senior class and despite coming in with a deceptive 4-4 record, it was no secret who the favorite was on this night.

"We've been really concentrating on mental toughness because we have a young, inexperienced team," said QO head coach Peg Keiller. "The kids just pulled through tonight."

Just after an early chance went awry for Damascus (8-1, 4-1 3A), in the second minute Erin Gaughan sent in her second dangerous cross in as many minutes, only this time Mary Hunkeler was able to reach it and guide it past Gabby Paolini for the early 1-0 lead.

Keeping up the pressure early, the Hornets had several chances to add to its lead, the best coming in the 11th minute when Meggy Kreysa made a sensation run and got a solid strike on net, but Paolini was just able to swat it away for a spectacular save.

"I think we've gotten better each game, and we really played well tonight," said Paolini.

Late in the first half QO began to sustain some pressure in the final third, breaking through after a Damascus turnover and Lauren Holdsworth made a great pass to fellow sophomore Kelly Whiteis who rocketed it near-post upper 90 in the 35th minute to tie the game.

A young squad regardless, QO got its game winner from a freshman who plays "maybe 10-15 minutes a game" according to Keiller.

In the 58th minute, a beautiful long ball was guided on target by Jess Konecke; after the initial save by Allison Gardner, Vida Branco nailed the uncontested opportunistic tap-in goal to give the Cougars the lead.

"I just remembered 120 percent in the box, and just put my foot out there," Branco said.

Freshman Danielle Fernandez nearly tied it in the 64th minute on a perfectly-placed free kick that went over the wall and over Paolini's head, but just kissed the crossbar.

The ball was loose in the box for what seemed like an eternity, but Paolini made another great diving stop on Kat Leiby's point-blank strike on what would be the last great chance for the Hornets on the night.

Konecke scored on a play similar to the Branco goal in the 70th minute, with Mary McMeekin on the initial shot, and Damascus was unable to create any chances to threaten the two-goal deficit.

"I think they out-hustled us and definitely wanted it more," said Damascus head coach Katie Roberts. "We weren't doing things that made us successful in the past...This is definitely an obstacle we're going to overcome."

New photos posted

2010-10-08T17:30:00.001-04:00

Second installment from Becky. Some really fantastic shots of the ladies. Enjoy.

QO Topples WM, Stays in the Hunt for Division

2010-10-08T13:31:00.002-04:00

On a chilly Wednesday evening in Montgomery Village, the Cougars extended their division record to 3-0 with a 2-0 win over Watkins Mill. Freshman midfielder Mary McMeekin notched the first two goals of her QO career. Both assists came from sophomore Isabelle Latour, who had moved up to the front line to get things moving. Senior Sami Slonim tried her hand at yet another position, filling in nicely in the center midfield. Centerbacks Morgan Dorset and Kelly Whiteis, flanked by combinations of Kayla Hamedi, Chandler Holdsworth, Madeline Korol, and Grace Toohey, helped lead the Cougars to their second straight shut-out. Junior GK Kelsey O'Connor saw her first action of year, keeping all WM shots out of the net. The game was also a chance for junior forward Allie Solomon to see her first action since spraining her ankle, and she lent a spark to the offense with her displays of skill and speed.

The Cougars are in action again on Monday, October 11th at Damascus, who is 10-0, 4-0 in the division.

Cougars Finish Week on High Note

2010-10-01T10:56:00.002-04:00

After a disappointing 5-1 loss on Tuesday at B-CC (goal by Kelly Whiteis, assist Morgan Dorset), the QO girls' varsity soccer team rebounded the next evening to drop Poolesville, 2-0.

Brushing aside fatigue, the Cougars battled a physical, hard-working Falcon side in Poolesville Wednesday night in the rain. After a scoreless first half, QO opened up the scoring early in the second half with a penalty kick, awarded after Kelly Whiteis was pushed aside attempting to receive a cross. Isabelle Latour stepped up to convert the ensuing penalty kick, but her hard-struck strike found the hands of the Poolesville GK. Acting quickly, Latour finished the rebound to put the Cougars ahead 1-0. The score stayed that way for much of the second half, until senior forward-at-the-time Sami Slonim received a long clearance pass from Latour, outraced the chasing back line, and placed a long shot over the reach of the PHS GK. The win is the first shutout for GK Gabby Paolini and the team, and leaves the Cougars at 3-4 on the season, 2-0 in the division.

Photo's of First Few Games

2010-09-27T20:52:00.008-04:00

Thanks to Becky !!!, our official team photographer, we have some fantastic photo's of the team in action.

Choose photos here or to at these links (CMW, TJ, GBps). Enjoy!

Website Updated

2010-09-27T20:52:00.002-04:00

Finally! I've had time to update the roster.

Monday's game canceled

2010-09-27T12:46:00.000-04:00

Monday evening's JV and varsity matches at B-CC have been canceled. The games are rescheduled for Tuesday evening.

Cougars Leave it Late

2010-09-26T08:27:00.002-04:00

QO wins second straight match with 2-1 overtime win over visiting Clarksburg

After controlling the ball much of the first half but struggling to score in their first match without senior captain Shannon Dwyer, QO conceded an early second half goal on a well-placed shot beyond the reach of diving GK Gabby Paolini. The Cougars battled to get the equalizer for the remainder of the half, with great chances by forward Jessica Konecke and midfielder Isabelle Latour banging off posts.

They finally broke threw with 1:53 remaining in regulation, as forward Allie Solomon slid yet another ball through to the left that Konecke made no mistake in finishing. The Cougars continued to press in the first overtime session, with center back turned forward Kelly Whiteis causing difficulty for the Clarksburg back line. Whiteis broke through with less than 3 minutes left in the first overtime session, outpacing the Clarksburg defense to the ball, sealing off the pressure, and calmly slotting the ball past the advancing GK into the right corner of the net for the gamewinner and her first goal of the season.

Cougars Rebound with Victory over Rams

2010-09-24T08:30:00.003-04:00

After a brutal early season schedule, Quince Orchard's varsity team notched one for the win column with a 4-1 win over Rockville on Monday night. Junior forward Jessica Konecke provided all the goals, setting a school record for most goals in a game. Assists were added by freshman midfielder Krista Pitts, junior forward Allie Solomon, senior defender Kayla Hamedi, and senior Sami Slomin. The back line, anchored by junior Morgan Dorset and sophomore Kelly Whiteis, limited Rockville to two shots, one of which was the penalty kick which provided the Rams only goal.

Unfortunately, senior midfielder and captain Shannon Dwyer sustained an injury that will keep her out for a few weeks. While saving a ball from going out of bounds, she landed on the metal drainage grates that run around the stadium field. She split her knee wide open, and a trip to the ER and several stitches were required.

The Cougars open up divisional play Friday at 5:00 PM at home against Clarksburg.

QO girls soccer falls to 0-3 with loss to Urbana

2010-09-15T13:34:00.003-04:00

http://www.gazette.net/gazettecms/story.php?id=740

Despite even shot totals, Hawks deal Cougars 3-0 defeat
by Thomas Floyd Special to The Gazette

For the Urbana girls soccer team, Tuesday's 3-0 win over Quince Orchard was all about making the most of its opportunities.

Strikers Samie Abernethy and Katie Parness scored on the Hawks' only two shots on goal in the first half, midfielder Jenny Marshall chipped in the third tally after the break, and Urbana improved to 2-1 with the victory in Gaithersburg.

"It really was a strange 3-0 game," said Urbana coach Chuck Nichols. "We are not 3-0 better than Quince Orchard."

Quince Orchard fell to 0-3 following Labor Day weekend losses to Thomas Johnson and C. Milton Wright.

The two teams were largely even throughout the match, splitting possession and trading scoring opportunities. Although Urbana did hold an edge in total shots, the advantage was a mere 11-10.

"Normally, I'm extremely upset after a 3-0 loss, but I really don't feel that way tonight," said Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller. "We definitely have some things to work out, but I saw a lot of good things from this squad."

Quince Orchard enjoyed the better of the play in the early going. Three minutes in, forward Jessica Konecke blew past Urbana right back Angela LaBella and launched a far-post effort that was tipped wide by Hawks goalkeeper Lauren Deegan.

Cougars midfielder Isabelle Latour then buzzed a free kick just high in the 11th minute. Moments later, Deegan mishit a clearance straight to Quince Orchard freshman Mary McMeekin, but the midfielder could not quite corral the ball and failed to get a shot off.

Urbana went ahead in the 16th minute when Abernethy slipped behind Cougars center back Kelly Whiteis and connected with teammate Sarah Micol's through ball. The offside flag stayed down as Quince Orchard left back Madeline Korol appeared to keep Abernethy onside from across the field, and the Hawks sophomore tucked her finish into the lower left corner.

"I thought they had the best of us," Nichols said. "The goal was completely against the run of play, and it kind of put them back on their heels."

One minute later, Urbana was dealt a blow when LaBella was sent off. Having already been cautioned for a rough slide tackle, LaBella was ruled to have intentionally handled a Quince Orchard pass, giving her a second yellow card.

Thanks to a goalkeeping gaffe, Urbana doubled its lead eight minutes before halftime. Parness drove a 23-yard free kick right at Quince Orchard goalkeeper Gabby Paolini, but the shot slipped through her hands and trickled over the goal line.

Quince Orchard's best chance to cut the deficit came two minutes after the break. Deegan charged off her line to intercept a pass and, following a scramble 20 yards from goal, the ball fell to Cougars forward Lauren Holdsworth. With Deegan caught out of position, the sophomore took aim from outside the penalty area at an empty net, only to see her bid sail high.

The Hawks closed the scoring in the 54th minute. A cross from the right flank fell to Marshall, and the sophomore beat defender Sami Slonim to the ball, sliding a close-range strike past Paolini.

CHANGE OF PRACTICE SITE for Tuesday morning!

2010-08-16T16:02:00.003-04:00

Tuesday morning practice will be 8-10 at Quince Orchard Knolls park.
11900 Quince Mill Dr.
Darnestown, MD 20878

From QO, take a right down QO Rd. Turn left onto Quince Mill Dr. Park is on the left.

Tryouts 2010!

2010-08-05T21:04:00.002-04:00

The tryout and game schedule has been updated on the calendar. Tryouts begin Saturday, August 14. Remember to turn in your paperwork (physical and permission) - you can't step on the field without it! Please contact Coach Keiller with any questions at QOsoccer@comcast.net.

A father's reflections

2009-11-10T21:30:00.003-05:00

In place of the normal blog entry recording the details of tonight's game against Tuscarora HS, I would like to try to capture my feelings about watching my senior daughter's last high school game. I always knew this night would come, whether it was in the quarter finals last week or all the way until next weekend at UMBC. I wondered how I would feel, well now I know. It is a mixture of profound sadness for my daughter playing with her team mates for the last time mixed with an overwhelming amount of pride in the way the team has performed for these past four seasons. Although I knew the last game would come I guess I wasn't really ready and I struggle to think now, as I sit here with my wife, "What will we worry about now?" It is really funny thinking how wonderfully stressful it has been watching our children play together these past years. This is an amazing group of young women who have joined together to represent their school and play the beautiful game they love. Soccer is not just a game for them, but for some a way of life. Some will still play together on their club teams, some even together in college, one thing is certain their love of the game and our love of watching them play will never die.

Congratulations Quince Orchard Girl's Soccer: 2009 Division Champions and 3A West Finalists.

Well done ladies!

QO advances to 3A West regional final

2009-11-05T21:44:00.003-05:00

Quince Orchard defeated Seneca Valley HS for the second time this season to advance to the Regional Final game on Tuesday. The final score was 2-0 on two very nice run of play goals in the second half. QO opened the game very dominant with good forward pressure and aggressive movement to goal. The Seneca Valley keeper made several key saves early denying scoring opportunities by both Shannon Dwyer and Sami Slonim. The half ended tied at 0-0.

The second half opened with QO on fire and scoring an early goal in the third minute of the second half. A Kayla Clarke throw in found the feet of Shannon Dwyer who turned and dribbled a few steps toward the goal and poked the ball past the sprawling SV keeper for the 1-0 lead. Fourteen minutes later QO scores again this time as Allie Solomon finds the back of the net after a super pass from Yvonne Latour to put the Cougars ahead for good 2-0.

Go Cougars!

QO wins Regional QF playoff game over Blake

2009-11-03T22:07:00.004-05:00

In rematch of the Cougar's last home match, and in fact our last match of the regular season due to a rained out game versus Northwest High School, the girls again defeated Blake High School this time by the score of 8-1. This chilly early November evening saw a balanced QO attack and defense as usual, however, the Cougars seemed to be much more offensively minded this evening with plenty of quality possession and some of the best passing through the midfield and to the forwards I have seen all year. The back line continues to be nearly impenetrable and just a slight miscue lead to the Bengals only goal. The Cougars generated some incredible offense this evening with multiple shots from multiple players and multiple goals from multiple players as well. A recap of the evening's scoring:
First half-
5th minute of play, Shannon Dwyer with the assist from Kayla Clarke
8th minute of play, Leah Prentice from a Shannon Dwyer assist
24th minute Yvonne Latour corner kick with a volleyed goal from Kayla Clarke
3-0 at the end of the half.
Second half-
9th minute Shannon Dwyer with the assist from Leah Prentice
13th minute Kayla takes corner kick with a Blake OG
16th minute Yvonne Latour from Kayla Clarke
40th minute Kayla Clarke unassisted
40th minute Yvonne Latour on a Leah Prentice assist
Final score QO 8 Blake 1

The Regional semi final will be at the Cougar Dome on Thursday the 5th at 7p.

Maryland Playoff Details

2009-10-28T20:46:00.001-04:00

Can be found here including the brackets.

Bengals fall to Cougars on Senior Night 5-0

2009-10-22T14:21:00.001-04:00

The Cougars defeated the visiting Blake Bengals Wednesday night 5-0, a special Senior Night treat. The class of 2010 players were escorted out onto the field tonight by their families while announcer Mike Cuthbert read each player's "future plans for college and careers!" They were all very funny!

The game was one of the most beautiful games I have seen the girls play in quite a while. Blake, while clearly outmatched by their hosts, did not give up and gave their all against a superior team. The Cougars demonstrated beautiful passing and possession and were dominant from the opening whistle.

The Cougars opening goal came from a shot taken by Allie Solomon that the keeper blocked away only to have the rebound tucked away by Shannon Dwyer for the goal.

The second goal could be one of my favorite goals I have seen the team make this year. Kayla Clarke delivered a beautiful cross from the right side that gracefully arced across the goal mouth and the onrushing Shannon Dwyer deftly one-touched past the sprawling Blake keeper. 2-0 Cougars.

The Cougar's third goal came as Clarke again delivered a great ball up the right side to a running Kelsey O'Conner who dragged a cross on the ground in front of the Blake keeper and onto the foot of Leah Prentice who also one-touched the ball into the back of the net, 3-0.

In the second half the scoring continued when Shannon Dwyer crossed the ball to Leah Prentice, who scored her second goal of the game from a close range shot.

Leah completed her hat trick when she received the ball yet again from Dwyer, and she settled the ball and blasted a left footed long range shot into the upper corner of the Blake goal. A great shot that had to be seen to truly appreciate! Beautiful!

Well done girls a great cap off to a wonderful senior night celebration.

The Cougar's next game is away at Northwest High School Tuesday night at 7:00.

Go Cougars!

Cougars defeat Patriots 2-0

2009-10-19T21:19:00.004-04:00

In what was billed to be the hardest of the remaining regular season games, the Cougars took Wootton close to the end of the game scoreless and then scored twice within 8 minutes to seal the victory 2-0. The two teams were very evenly matched and play was well distributed between them. The midfields dominated play on both teams with strong performances from both defenses as well. But in the end it was the offense of QO who prevailed. QO's first tally came from a strong move up the center of the field by Emily D'Italia. Em slotted the ball to Kayla Clarke and Kayla buried the ball into the back of the Patriot's net. Eight minutes later, Allie Solomon and Sami Slonim combined to score the Cougar's second goal of the evening. Allie passed the ball into the 6 yard box and after a few pinball bounces, Sami Slonim shot the ball past the Patriot keeper for the insurance goal.

I overhead Coach Keiller in a post-game interview make some great quotes, which I will share with you. "A gutsy performance." "We were able to correct some things we have been working on." And finally, regarding playing without injured forward Ele Margelos, "It was tough playing without Ele, first time in 4 years we've had to do that."

QO's next game is Wednesday night at home 7pm against Blake High School. It is QO Senior night.

COUGARS!

New Photos: Einstein, SV, Damascus

2009-10-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

More great photos of our Cougars in action!

Cougars defeat Titans 4-0

2009-10-13T21:43:00.003-04:00

Quince Orchard defeated Einstein tonight by the score of 4-0. The first Cougar goal came in the 7th minute when Shannon Dwyer threw the ball in to Emily D'Italia who slid a great pass through the Titan defense to the feet of Leah Prentice who sent her left footed shot past the sprawling Einstein keeper. Goal number 2 came in the 30th minute when Allie Solomin fed Sami Slonim who slotted the ball across the goal mouth and into the net just inside the far post. The score at the half was 2-0. The second half opened with Leah Prentice feeding the ball to Yvonne Latour who shoots and scores the first of her two goals. Latour's second goal came from a pass from Shannon Dwyer. Yvonne dribbled past the Titan defense and scored in the 14th minute. The entire squad received some quality play time allowing coach Keiller to rest some players and give some extra recuperation time to some injured players. The goal keeper duo of Gabby Paolini and Kelsey O'Conner (celebrating her 16th birthday!) combined to give the Cougar's their 6th consecutive shutout. In the Cougar's last 6 games we have out scored our opponents 28-0. Well done ladies!

The Cougar's next game is Monday night the 19th at 7 p.m. home in the Cougar Dome.

QO clinches Division title with 2-0 win over Damascus.

2009-10-07T20:21:00.002-04:00

The Cougars waited until late in the game to score their first goal. In the 27th minute of the 2nd half Emily D'Italia sent a nicely weighted pass through to Sami Slonim who took a few touches and calmly put the ball past the Damascus keeper to put the Cougars up 1-0. Eleven minutes later in the 38th minute Yvonne Latour sent a ball through to Leah Prentice who put the Cougars comfortably in front 2-0.
The Cougars played their normal game, a little slow and groggy in the first half, but came alive in the second half to totally dominate the Hornets and control the game.
The victory clinced the Divisional Championship for the Cougars.

The Cougars next game is Tuesday the 13th, 7pm, away at Einstein HS.

New photos just posted

2009-10-06T22:02:00.003-04:00

Once again, Ele's aunt Becky has provided the team many great photos of the BCC, Clarksburg, Poolesville, and WM games. You can view them under "Photos" in the online viewer or by going to my picasa album by pushing "George's" button. There are over 200...

Thank you Becky!!

QO takes it to Seneca Valley 9-0

2009-10-05T20:30:00.002-04:00

The Cougars definitely put on a show of how to play the beautiful game last night scoring 9 goals in 80 minutes of play. It was obvious in the first few minutes that the Eagles were going to be no match for the mighty Cougars. The girls totally dominated the game in all offensive statistical categories. We saw a lot of composure and maturity from the Cougars who stuck to their proven possession style. Goals were scored by 5 different Cougar players: (3) from Senior Ele Margelos, (2) from Senior Leah Prentice, including a very confidently struck PK. (2) from Sophomore Allie Solomon and (1) each from Freshman Kelley Whiteis and Junior Sami Slonim.

Sophmore goal keepers Gabby Paolini and Kelsey O'Connor shared the duties between the posts and kept the limited number of shots on goal by Eagles well away from the net.

Well done Cougars!

The girl's next game is this Wednesday night, home at the Cougar Dome against the visiting squad from Damascus at 5 p.m.

QO v. Watkins Mill

2009-10-02T08:52:00.002-04:00

The Quince Orchard girls continued their winning ways with a 4-0 win over Watkins Mill on Thursday at the Cougar Dome. Ele Margelos opened the scoring in the 17th minute when she buried a rebound off Emily D'Italia's blast at goal. The Cougars added to the lead in the 39th minute, when Shannon Dwyer sent a diagonal ball over the right side of Watkins Mill's defense. Morgan Dorset made a run from the midfield to get on the end of the cross and put it away for the 2-0 lead.

The second half started off the way the first half left off, with Yvonne Latour feeding Leah Prentice off the kickoff for the score. After playing the first 65 minutes in goal, Kelsey O'Connor entered the game as a forward, and in the 78th minute, made her way to the back post on a Leah Prentice corner kick to knock in the final tally.

Sophomore goalkeepers Kelsey O'Connor and Gabby Paolini combined for the shutout, the team's fourth of the season and third consecutive.

QO defeats Watkins Mill 4-0

2009-10-01T21:37:00.001-04:00

Sorry I was not at the game and can provide no report other than the score.

QO's next game is away at Seneca Valley HS Monday the 5th at 5pm.

Cougars defeat Falcons 2-0

2009-09-26T14:10:00.003-04:00

The Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the visiting Poolesville Falcons this afternoon at the Cougar Dome by the score of 2-0. The Cougars started out strong with another early press at goal with Yvonne Latour and Leah Prentice making an early run up the left side of the field. QO was their typical dominant patient self in this game and possessed the ball very well in all areas of the field. QO opened the scoring in the scoring in the 19th minute with a great goal from senior Leah Prentice in the 19th minute. The play was set up by soe excellent work by senior Ele Margelos, who carried the ball up the right side and artfully crossed it in to Prentice for the put away goal. Great back and forth play for most of the remaining 1st half with Margelos and Prentice coming very close to connecting again in the 40th minute but the Falcon's keeper comes up with a huge save. The score at the half remains 1-0.

The second half opens with some early great opportunities by the Cougars and strong possession in the midfield. In the 16th minute of the 2nd half senior Kayla Clarke carries the ball into the middle, finds space and buries a long shot into the upper right corner of the Falcon's goal to put QO up 2-0. Poolesville makes a slight formation change later in the half pushing a defender into the midfield and a midfielder up top to try to generate some needed offense. This switch was noticed immediately and handled well by the Cougar's defense.

The Cougar's next game is this Thursday October 1st at 5pm home in the Cougar Dome.

New Photos Posted - Push Georges Button (read on)

2009-09-24T21:26:00.001-04:00

There are new photos from Becky from the TJ and Northern games.

You can also view all four (TJ, Northern, Urbana and Rockville) games by going to photos and pushing George's Button (here).

Enjoy

Cougars light up Coyotes 7-0

2009-09-22T06:36:00.003-04:00

The visiting Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the Clarksburg Coyotes this Monday night by the score of 7-0.

An attack minded Quince Orchard made the trek north to Clarksburg High School Monday night and unleashed a barrage of goals previously unseen this season. Scoring opened very early with a blistering shot by Senior Yvonne Latour in the 4th second! With the assist from senior Leah Prentice. The shot not only caught the Coyotes napping but many QO parents as well! In the 5th minute of the game senior Ele Margelos was taken down viciously from behind by a Clarksburg player, received a yellow card for her efforts. The resulting direct kick taken by Latour glanced off the Coyote wall and deflected into the back of the Coyote net for Latour's second goal of the evening. In the 11th minute Latour capped off her scoring for the evening with another direct kick goal. Hat trick for Latour! Qo then proceeded to totally dominate play in the midfield and defensive end totally shutting down any and all opportunities the Coyotes attempted to develop. In the 37th minute QO scored their fourth goal of the half when senior Emily D'Italia carried the ball 30 yards up field taking advantage of a nice open space in the middle of the Coyote midfield. 20 yards out she shot the ballinto the lower left corner past the Clarksburg keeper to give the Cougars a comfortable 4-0 lead going into halftime.

The Cougars came roaring out in the second half and continued to apply the pressure to the Coyotes. In the 5th minute in a small series of shots and saves, Senior Ele Margelos found herself with the ball in front of the Coyote net just outside the penalty box and let loose a cannon of a shot to increase QO's lead to 5-0. Play continued on for the next ten minutes in the same fashion as the rest of the game with QO still with unrelenting defensive and offensive pressure against the Coyote defense. Coach Keiller was by now making frequent substitutions including replacing first half goal keeper Gabby Paolini with Kelsey O'Connor for the second half. In the 15th minute of the second half senior Kayla Clarke made an excellent run up the left side and sent a beautful cross to Freshman Kelley Whiteis who calmly put the ball home. More substitutions and players playing in unusual positions followed on the heals of the Cougars's 6th goal of the evening. We got the delight of seeing defenders in the midfield and forwardsand midfielders in the defense and a general display of the versatility and depth of the QO program. In the 36th minute senior Margaret Smith scored during a melee of shots and clearance attempts. She coolly buried a shot that had seconds before arrived magically at her feet.

QO's seven goals and the passing and possession and guts and determination were a thing of beauty to watch tonight. We are looking forward to more of the same in our upcoming games. Next game for QO is Saturday at the Cougar Dome against the visiting Falcons from Poolesville High School at noon.

QO drop a game to BCC

2009-09-17T21:50:00.004-04:00

The Cougars lost tonight against the Barrons of BCC by the score of 2-1. However, it was a very well played game by both teams, and a joy to watch. QO got out to a slow start and gave up another early goal, this time in the 5th minute of the first half. The play by the Cougars started to come around in the 18th minute and began moving the ball better and really starting to control the field and the possession. At the half the score remained 1-0 Barrons.

The second half saw a quick shift in QO's favor. In the 5th minute of the second half, Senior forward Leah Prentice played a beautiful ball into the middle and onto the feet of Senior forward Ele Margelos, who slotted the ball past the Barron's keeper to tie the score 1-1. Play seesawed back and forth for the next 33 minutes with both teams having some excellent chances at net and both teams really opened up on the field. In the 37th minute of the second half a BCC player had the ball wide and took a shot from about 20 yds out that skipped off the far post and into the Cougar's net. A heartbreaking end to a well played game by both teams.

The Cougar's next game is Monday the 21st at Clarksburg High School at 7 pm.

Latour's Two Goal, One Assist Effort Sparks Cougar Victory

2009-09-15T11:43:00.001-04:00

Click here for report on gamedaymagazine.com

Cougars defeat Rams 4-1

2009-09-14T22:31:00.003-04:00

In the opening home game of the 2009 Cougar Soccer campaign, Quince Orchard defeated the Rams from Rockville High School. The Cougars got off to a slow start giving up a early goal to the Rams in the 16th minute. The Cougars totally dominated possession, passing the ball extremely well and remaining in the offensive half of the field for a majority, (nearly all) of the first half. Rockville's main possession was a miscleared ball that found its way onto the feet of the Rockville forward who was then 1 on 1 with Sophomore Goal Keeper Gabby Paolini, Gabby made a great attempt to stop the onrushing player, who slotted the ball past Paolini for Rockville's lone goal. Rockville's keeper kept QO off the scoreboard for the first half making several key saves.

The second was a different story. The Cougars came out with a new found intensity and focus. They continued to dominate possession and kept the ball in Rockville's defensive half. QO's second half scoring opened in the 2nd minute when Senior Midfielder Yvonne Latour took a beautiful cross from Senior forward Leah Prentice and put it past the Rockville keeper. Five minutes later Senior midfielder Kayla Clarke found the ball at her feet from a Rockville clearance, she then took a step forward and buried a 24yd shot into the back of the net. Three minutes after Clarke's goal, Latour scored her second goal of the evening in the 10th minute of second half. Latour's goal was set up by a great assist from Sophomore forward Allie Solomon. Clearly a different QO team was on the field for the second half and was out to prove a point. The Cougars collected themselves very well from the early first half deficit and proved themselves the superior team. The final goal of the evening was a corner kick goal taken by Latour and put past the Ram's keeper by Senior forward Leah Prentice. The final goal came in the 24th minute of the second half.

The Cougar's next game is Thursday night at 7 p.m. against BCC.

Gazette: Urbana girls edge Quince Orchard

2009-09-11T11:09:00.003-04:00

Charles E. Shoemaker II/The Gazette
Quince Orchard's Leah Prentice (6) chases down the ball against Urbana's Katie Marshall (10) and Ally Breitsameter (13) Thursday during the Hawks' 2-1 win in Ijamsville.

Urbana girls edge Quince Orchard
Ruhe's 35-yard game-winner lifts Urbana to 2-1 win over Cougars on Thursday
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

Urbana High senior midfielder Amie Ruhe had been dishing out passes to her teammates up top for the majority of Thursday's home game against Quince Orchard, but with the scored tied 1-1 in the 58th minute, decided to take matters into her own hands.

As the Cougars scrambled to get back and defend her push forward, Ruhe stopped short and launched a perfectly-arched 35-yard shot just under the crossbar to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead for good.

Urbana moved to 3-0 with the win while Quince Orchard dropped to 2-1.

"Lately my shots have been going all over the place but my coach [Chuck Nichols] just said to keep shooting" Ruhe said. "We knew that Quince Orchard would be aggressive. They do not play like most high school teams; they pass the ball around a lot. We just knew we would have to put constant pressure on them."

Thursday's battle played out much like a game between two perennial powers should. It was physical, competitive and laced with frequent momentum shifts.

Urbana got off to a stronger start, controlling the first 10 minutes. Senior striker Julie Ruhe gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute on a 20-yard breakaway.

After that, Quince Orchard settled in and started knocking the ball around and setting up runs. The Cougars pressured Urbana the latter part of the first half, outshooting it 5-4 in the half.

Cougars sophomore Alli Solomon finished a deflection from about five yards out to even the score at 1-1 at halftime.

Quince Orchard senior forward Ele Margelos nearly tied the game seconds before the whistle was called when she broke through the Hawks' defense and rolled a shot past goalie Katie Marshall. But it bounced off the right goal post and ricocheted out.

Thursday was a good early season test for Quince Orchard. The Cougars returned the majority of last year's state final squad—forwards Leah Prentice and Margelos and midfielders Yvonne Latour, Emily D'Italia and Kayla Clarke form as cohesive a scoring unit as any coach could ask for. But a couple younger players are stepping into more prominent roles this year, and playing time against one of the state's best teams will be beneficial as the season wears on.

Sophomore goalie Gabby Paolini did a superb job blocking the barrage of shots Urbana sent at her in the second half—the Hawks finished with 11 shots on goal to Quince Orchard's 8; Paolini tallied nine saves.

Freshman Isabelle Latour solidified the Cougars' well-crafted backline, helmed Margaret Smith, Jessica Row and Jenny Van Hook.

"I definitely have confidence [in Gabby], I think if she were a little bit taller we would still be playing right now," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said after the game. "[Thursday's] game definitely showed us what we need to work on. The girls are pretty fired up right now about working hard."

Cougars drop a heartbreaker to Urbana

2009-09-10T22:25:00.005-04:00

The Cougars lost a very close game tonight by the score of 2-1. The Cougars looked very strong and were moving the ball well throughout the game. We had several excellent chances, including a last minute shot by Senior Forward Ele Margelos that struck the post and skidded just wide.

The lone Cougar goal came in the 30th minute of the first half in a flurry of shots from the Cougars and blocks and clears by the Hawk defense. Sophomore forward Allie Solomon found the ball at her feet and put it past the Urbana keeper to tie the game at 1-1.

The Cougars had the bulk of the possession late in the second half but were unable to capitalize on any of their shots. Margelos' late shot was the closest they came to tying the game. All in all a hard fought battle that could have gone either way.

The Cougar's next game is our Home Opener at QO Stadium Monday the 14th against Rockville High School at 7 p.m.

Washington Post: Girls' Soccer Top Ten

2009-09-10T16:09:00.000-04:00

Team
1. Spalding (19-1-3)
2. Good Counsel (13-6-1)
3. Bethesda-CC (17-0)
4. Quince Orchard (14-3)
5. O'Connell (14-5-3)
6. Glenelg (10-7-1)
7. G'town Visitation (15-1)
8. Urbana (8-5-1)
9. National Cathedral (10-3-1)
10. Reservoir (12-4-1)

(Last year's record)

Washington Post: Girls' Soccer Preview

2009-09-10T14:35:00.002-04:00

Girls' Soccer Preview
Thursday, September 10, 2009

Quince Orchard, which moves down to 3A from 4A after making the state finals in 2008, returns nine starters, including 2008 first-team All-Met Kayla Clarke, who has committed to play at Maryland.

Player to Watch MF Kayla Clarke Quince Orchard, Sr.
Thursday, September 10, 2009

Though her two goals and 11 assists last season may not indicate a star in the making, the numbers are misleading for this 2008 All-Met. With nine seniors returning from the Cougars' 4A state finals run a year ago, Clarke will be counted on as a distributor, controlling the middle of the field while her teammates get credit for the offensive fireworks. "She's just such a composed player . . . it creates a good mixture," said Cougars Coach Peg Keiller of her field general, who intends to head to College Park next season and play for Maryland.

Tournament of Champions

2009-09-06T07:59:00.006-04:00

Well hello there Cougar Soccer fans! The season is officially underway with the Tournament of Champions hosted by Tuscarora High School in Frederick Maryland. The Cougars got off to a great start on the season, winning both their games. In the first game the Cougars defeated the Governor Thomas Johnson Patriots by the score of 3-2. the Cougars second game later that afternoon saw victory over the Patriots of Northern High School from Calvert County, 1-0.

It was a great day for goals from restarts as Senior Midfielder Yvonne Latour scored 1 goal in each game from a direct free kick. The second goal in the Thomas Johnson game came from Senior forward Ele Margelos who had a very well placed shot into the upper corner of the net. Yvonne also had a run of play goal in the game against Thomas Johnson on a lovely cross from Sophomore forward Allie Solomon, which was buried into the back of the net off the right foot of Latour. The Thomas Johnson game was played on a very wet and slow field and at times the passing was a bit untidy. The girls struggled to adjust but by half time and all during the second half looked to have made the adjustments necessary to control the passing and possession.

In the afternoon game against the Patriots (what a coincidence!) of Northern High School the Cougars had much better control of the field and had the majority of possession. The grass was much faster than in the morning and everything seemed to be going much easier for the girls. Play was well controlled by the defense and midfield and there were some wonderful runs and beautiful balls through to the forwards. The lone goal came in the 16th minute of the second half from Latour's second direct strike. A foul just outside the Northern Patriot's penalty box and Yvonne squirted the ball past the Northern keeper.

A great start to the season as the Cougars record stands at 2-0-0. Were have an away game against Urbana High School on Thursday the 10th at 6:30 p.m. The Cougars begin their home campaign Monday the 14th at Quince Orchard Stadium against Rockville High School at 7:00 p.m.

Girls soccer fast facts

2009-08-29T23:27:00.002-04:00

Girls soccer fast facts

(...)

Quince Orchard Cougars

2008 record: 14-3-0

Players to watch: Ele Margelos, Kayla Clarke, Emily D'Italia

2009 outlook: "We certainly cannot assume that we are going to go as far as we have gone every year. We have to fight for everything we get. We just try and keep it realistic that way." — head coach Peg Keiller

(...)

Gazette: QO and B-CC swap places, roll on

2009-08-29T23:20:00.001-04:00

Girls soccer: QO and B-CC swap places, roll on
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

(...)

Two-time Class 4A state champion Quince Orchard (2002, '07), which has won the 4A West Region title the last three years, will drop to 3A along with Blake, and Wheaton drops to 2A.

The changes throw a wrench in some of the county's coveted rivalries. But the usual suspects — B-CC, Whitman, Quince Orchard, Blair, Wootton, Churchill, Walter Johnson, Poolesville — are still there with the same intention: Winning the state championship.

"Expectations in our region are going to be tricky," Churchill coach Haroot Hakopian said. "We lost Quince Orchard and as a bonus for losing Quince Orchard, we get B-CC. But we are excited about having B-CC in the 4A, it gives our region even more legitimacy."

(...)

QOHS Class of 2010

2009-08-22T16:49:00.003-04:00

The Washington Post: Soccer Notebook

2008-11-19T21:53:00.002-05:00

Howard County Is Left on Sideline

By Dave Yanovitz and Soraya Nadia McDonald
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Page E07

(...)

Either Quince Orchard or Leonardtown has played for a 4A state title each of the past three years, with Leonardtown claiming two titles, including one with a win over the Cougars last weekend.

The Raiders, however, might not have Quince Orchard to test their mettle against next season. The Cougars are expected to move down to 3A when the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association convenes next month.

The bad news for Leonardtown is that Thomas Johnson isn't going anywhere, and the Patriots had just two seniors on a team that lost in penalty kicks to Quince Orchard in the state semifinals.
(...)

The Washington Post: The Post Top 10

2008-11-19T21:46:00.002-05:00

Girl's Soccer

Wednesday, November 19, 2008; Page E07

WCAC champion St. John's claimed the top spot early in the season and finished strong. . . . Thomas Johnson joins the rankings after advancing to the Maryland 4A championship game and losing to Quince Orchard on penalty kicks. . . . Glenelg also enters after winning its third straight 1A title.

Team LW
1. St. John's (D.C.) (14-2-5) 1
2. Spalding (19-1-3) 2
3. B-CC (17-0) 3
4. Leonardtown (17-0-1) NR
5. River Hill (16-1-1) 4
6. Georgetown Visitation (15-1) 5
7. O'Connell (14-4-3) 9
8. Glenelg (10-7-1) NR
9. Quince Orchard (14-3) NR
10. Thomas Johnson (14-2-1) NR

The Gazette: QO repeat raided

2008-11-18T21:22:00.002-05:00

Leonardtown beats Cougars in girls soccer final for second time

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer

A lot of things can happen in 2 minutes: driving two miles at 60 miles per hour, 100 sit-ups or even a total eclipse.

It's also how long it took for the Quince Orchard girls soccer team's hopes of successfully defending last year's Class 4A state championship to slip away.

Quince Orchard and Leonardtown battled for the title for the second time in three years Saturday at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Just as it did in 2006, the St. Mary's County outfit hoisted the winner's trophy at the end, this time with a 3-1 victory.

Leonardtown senior forward Emily Gehrig's goal 2 minutes into the second half of Saturday's contest opened the floodgates for the Raiders. The win clinched the Leonardtown's first-ever undefeated season at 17-0-1 and its third state title, while the loss snapped a 10-game win streak for the Cougars (14-3).

Laurie DeWitt/The Gazette
Yvonne Latour (left) and Quince Orchard lost the state final to Leonardtown and Jessica Cooke (right) for the second time in three years Saturday, after winning it all last season.

When Quince Orchard met Leonardtown two years ago, the Cougars were overwhelmed by the Raiders' speed and skill. That was not the case Saturday, though.

"Obviously it was a difficult night for us," Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "It's funny, because we came here two years ago and they beat us up and down the field and ended up winning 1-0 on a last-minute goal. Tonight was the other way around. It was a better fought game, but they won 3-1."

Quince Orchard matched up well in the first half, stifling an explosive Raider offense that's scored 66 goals to its 39. But it seemed only a matter of time before the Raiders' attack, helmed by Gehrig (10 goals, 11 assists) - who is slated to play at Towson University next fall - and junior Teresa Paz, broke through.

After a scoreless first half, Gehrig, who scored the last-minute winning goal in the teams' previous meeting, lofted junior forward Johanna Rambo's well-placed pass into the upper left corner of the net to put Leonardtown ahead, 1-0, in the 42nd minute.

Senior midfielder Jessie Schaller pushed the lead to 2-0 after coming off the bench to finish a pass from Gehrig in the 53rd minute, while junior midfielder Rachel Lynn subbed in and made it 3-0 late in the second half.

"We knew Quince Orchard had a really good keeper [four-year starter Amanda Whitney]," said Gehrig. "In the locker room during half time, Coach [Jennifer] Henderson was just like, 'You guys have got to start taking shots.' After my goal everyone started taking shots. And everyone has a good foot and the ability to score."

Quince Orchard junior leading scorer Ele Margelos put the Cougars on the board in the 77th minute. But they'd dug themselves too deep a hole. The Cougars' penetrating balls weren't making it into the box.

Nevertheless, Saturday marked Quince Orchard's third-consecutive state-final appearance. And the Cougars are set for 2009; they return nine starters, including all four of their offensive leaders: Margelos, junior forward Leah Prentice and junior midfielders Yvonne Latour and Kayla Clarke.

"At the beginning of the season we talked about how winning this year would be twice as hard as winning last year, being the defending champions and having that target on our back," Keiller said. "We're disappointed we didn't win, but these girls have a lot to be proud of."

The Gazette: QO falls to Leonardtown

2008-11-17T06:43:00.000-05:00

Cougars fall one game short of consecutive girls soccer state titles
by Jennifer Beekman | Staff Writer
Monday, Nov. 17, 2008

For the second time in three years Saturday at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Quince Orchard and Leonardtown battled for the Class 4A girls soccer state title. And just as it did in 2006, the team from St. Mary's County hoisted the winner's trophy at the end, this time with a 3-1 victory.

Saturday's win clinched the Raiders' first-ever undefeated season at 17-0-1, and third state title. The loss snapped a 10-game win streak for defending state champion Quince Orchard (14-3).

"[Saturday] was a great game," 15th-year Leonardtown coach Jennifer Henderson said. "Quince Orchard played a great game; it was a hard-fought battle out there. It was an all-around team effort. We put high pressure on the ball and attacked as a unit."

Saturday's duel was between two of the stingiest defenses in the state. Leonardtown allowed just one goal in the regular season; Quince Orchard's nine shutouts are a school single-season record. Both were on point in the first half.

But it seemed only a matter of time before the Raiders' explosive offense, helmed by senior Emily Gehrig (10 goals, 11 assists) and Junior Teresa Paz (6, 5), broke through. Leonardtown has scored 66 goals this fall to Quince Orchard's 39.

After a scoreless first half, Gehrig, who scored the last-minute winning goal in the teams' previous meeting, lofted junior forward Johanna Rambo's well-placed pass into the upper left corner of the net to put Leonardtown ahead, 1-0, in the 42nd minute.

Gehrig's goal opened the floodgates. The Raiders, who'd been playing timidly in the first half, upped their intensity and started taking more shots.

Laurie DeWitt/The Gazette
Leonardtown's Jessica Cooke (No. 13) goes up against Quince Orchard's Yvonne Latour (No. 17) in the girls' 4A title game on Saturday. Leonardtown won 3-0.

Senior midfielder Jessie Schaller came off the bench to finish a pass from Gehrig and give Leonardtown a 2-0 lead in the 53rd minute. Junior midfielder Rachel Lynn subbed in and made it 3-0 late in the second half.

"We knew Quince Orchard had a really good keeper (four-year starter Amanda Whitney)," said Gehrig, committed to play at Division I Towson University next year. "In the locker room during half time, Coach Henderson was just like, ‘You guys have got to start taking shots.' After my goal everyone started taking shots. And everyone has a good foot and the ability to score."

Quince Orchard junior leading scorer Ele Margelos (10, 3) put the Cougars on the board in the 77th minute. But they'd dug themselves too deep a hole.

Nevertheless, Saturday marked Quince Orchard's third-consecutive state final appearance. And the Cougars return nine starters and all four of their offensive leaders: Margelos, junior forward Leah Prentice (9, 2) and junior midfielders Yvonne Latour (8, 7) and Kayla Clarke (2, 11).

"At the beginning of the season we talked about how winning this year would be twice as hard as winning last year, being the defending champions and having that target on our back," 10th-year Quince Orchard coach Peg Keiller said. "We're disappointed we didn't win, but these girls have a lot to be proud of."

Digital Sports: Girls Soccer 4A Finals: Leonardtown 3, Quince Orchard 1

2008-11-16T06:51:00.001-05:00

Emily Gehrig starts the scoring for Leonardtown and the Raiders defense does the rest to win second title in three years.
Published: 11/16/2008
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Leonardtown's Emily Gehrig doesn't think it's playing Quince Orchard that brings out the best in her, it's playing in the state championships.

Either way, Gehrig has certainly made her impact felt in Leonardtown's two girls soccer state championships in the past three seasons.

Gehrig scored the Raiders' lone goal in their 4A state finals win two years ago and scored the first goal Saturday night in a 3-1 victory in this year's state championship at UMBC. It just so happens, she said, that both times the goals came against Quince Orchard.

"I guess it's just a coincidence that I scored," Gehrig said.

While Leonardtown's defense has been what's carried the Raiders (17-0-1) all season, Gehrig and the offense's ability to finish its limited opportunities was the difference in the championship game, which capped off the program's first undefeated season.

After a scoreless first half, Leonardtown Coach Jennifer Henderson stressed making the most of offensive chances and staying hungry in front of the goal. Just one minute and four seconds into the half, that's exactly what her players did.

Gehrig found herself open on the right side of the net and one-on-one with the keeper after a well-placed through ball by junior forward Johanna Rambo. Gehrig buried the shot in the top right of the net to start the Raiders' offensive rush.

"It was a perfect pass; I kind of had to finish it," Gehrig said. "It kind of gave us some momentum because I felt we were dominating the second half. We were taking more shots. After I scored, I think everyone started taking shots and everyone on the team has potential to score."

Leonardtown senior midfielder Jessie Schaller scored the Raiders' second goal 12 minutes, 17 seconds later. Schaller, who had just been substituted into the game, scored from a very difficult angle off a deflected shot by Gehrig.

The Raiders notched their final goal just eight minutes and three seconds later when junior midfielder Rachel Lynn came off the bench and blasted a shot into the lower-left side of the net on another assist by Rambo.

When asked what she felt was the difference in the game, Quince Orchard Coach Peg Keiller said, "Penetrating balls and great finishing. We hadn't given up a goal in the playoffs until tonight."

Leonardtown's defense was certainly a huge factor as well as it limited the Cougars (15-3) to just four shots - two in each half. The Raiders posted 15 shutouts this season and had allowed just two goals heading into Saturday's game.

Quince Orchard's Ele Margelos, who scored the game-winning goal against Whitman in the 4A West regional final and the game-sealing penalty kick in a 7-6 penalty kick win over Thomas Johnson in the state semifinals, netted Quince Orchard's lone goal with 3:02 left in the game when her shot bounced off the Leonardtown keepers' hands and over the goal line.

"I always try to get a shutout," senior goalkeeper Dana O'Neill said. "We didn't let it affect us."

The goal certainly didn't mute the sea of blue Thunderstix in the Leonardtown cheering section. There's no way this championship, the third in Coach Henderson's 15 years, wasn't going to be savored.

"I started my sophomore year, my first year, winning states," senior defender Alex Evitts said. "And to come here and win the states and leave winning states I couldn't ask for a better high school career."

The Washington Post: Maryland 4A Girls' Soccer Championship

2008-11-16T06:35:00.000-05:00

Leonardtown Too Tough for Quince Orchard
Raiders Lose Their Shutout but Win The State Crown

By Jeff Nelson
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 16, 2008; Page D08

CATONSVILLE, Md., Nov. 15 -- All season, opposing offenses failed to find openings in Leonardtown's defense.

Saturday night's 4A state championship game was no different.

Quince Orchard managed just four shots, and its only goal came in the waning moments, well after Leonardtown's victory was assured. The only difference between this game and most was that it wasn't a shutout, as the Raiders had to settle for a 3-1 win at UMBC Stadium.

"We always want to get a shutout," senior goalkeeper Dana O'Neill said, "but we didn't let it affect us."

Leonardtown has earned two state titles in the past three years, the other also coming against Quince Orchard in 2006.

The Raiders' defensive dominance this season stemmed from a group of players that had been together for several years, some of them as far back as youth leagues, and a defensive philosophy called "pressure, balance, cover."

Senior back Alex Evitts explained: "First defender, step to the ball, high pressure, try not to let them turn. The second defender, cover. The third, balance, so if it gets played out, someone's always there."

Raiders Coach Jennifer Henderson confirmed that this team, the first undefeated squad in Leonardtown history, executed that team-defense concept as well as any she has had.

"They are true defensive unit," she said. "They don't play as individuals. They play as a unit and that's why they're so successful."

The Cougars (14-3), who won last year's championship, had two shots in each half, the final one resulting in a goal for junior Ele Margelos after the ball squirted free from the Raiders' goalkeeper.

That prevented Leonardtown (17-0-1) from recording its 16th shutout of the season, but it did nothing to diminish the job done by the Raiders' starting backfield -- senior Alex Evitts and juniors Taelar Errington and Rachel Eversole -- and a midfield that rarely allowed the Cougars to gain any momentum going forward.

On offense, Leonardtown opened the scoring in the 42nd minute on a play that started rather innocuously, with the ball finding junior forward Johanna Rambo in front of the box, her back to the goal.

Calmly, Rambo turned, saw Emily Gehrig darting to her right and flicked a perfect pass to the senior, who suddenly had a one-on-one with Quince Orchard's goalkeeper.

Gehrig blasted a shot high into the net.

Leonardtown added to its lead 12 minutes later when Gehrig had a shot pushed to the side by the Cougars' goalkeeper.

With the ball heading out of bounds and the goalie about to reach it, Raiders senior Jessie Schaller, who had just come into the game as a substitute, got there first and found an extremely tight angle for a 2-0 lead.

Leonardtown's fans, many of them banging Thunderstix that said, "Go Raiders," had more reason to cheer with 16 minutes remaining when midfielder Rachel Lynn, another player off the bench, juked a defender and scored on a long drive from the left side.

From there, the only suspense surrounded the potential shutout, which didn't materialize. But the Raiders didn't seem to care as they converged after the final horn.

Leonardtown 3 Quince Orchard 1

They'll Be Back: Quince Orchard, which moves down to 3A next season, will return nine of its starters. Doing It Again: Leonardtown senior Emily Gehrig, who broke last night's scoreless tie, also recorded the lone goal in the Raiders' 2006 title game win over Quince Orchard. When she scored last night, it was the first goal allowed by the Cougars in this year's playoffs.

A Great Season

2008-11-16T00:14:00.003-05:00

Though it didn't have the end we all wanted it to, the 2008 season was a great one. I am proud of all the girls and their efforts all season. I want to thank everyone who came out to UMBC and waited over an hour for our game to start - you created a great atmosphere. The girls will soon realize what an amazing accomplishment it is to have played in 3 straight 4A state finals. Thanks to all who supported the team this season.
Coach Keiller

Photos of State Semifinals

2008-11-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

Photos of the State semifinals have been posted by Brenda of Eye on the Ball.

The Gazette: Youth serves QO, TJ

2008-11-10T19:32:00.006-05:00

In meeting of young girls teams, Cougars win on seventh PK

by John Y. Wehmueller | Staff Writer

Of the 22 players who started the first of two Class 4A girls soccer state semifinals at Richard Montgomery High Saturday, just three were seniors. Yet it was a pair of playoff veterans who finally nailed down Quince Orchard's 1-0 (7-6 penalty kicks) win over Thomas Johnson.

After the teams combined to convert the first 12 PKs, Cougars senior Amanda Whitney finally made a diving save on the Patriots' seventh attempt. Junior Ele Margelos stepped up next and fired the defending state champions back into the final.

"I was freaking out. I was shaking. I was about to throw up," Margelos said. "[The Patriots] did a great job with their PKs, and so did we. And it came down to me, which is just freaky."

Chris Rossi/The Gazette
Quince Orchard's Kayla Clark (facing camera) gets a big hug from teammate Emily D'Italia after the Cougars survived a 14-kick penalty shootout against Thomas Johnson in the Class 4A state semifinals Saturday at Richard Montgomery.

Quince Orchard (14-2 record, 4A West Region champion) advances to its third-straight state championship game riding a 10-game winning streak. The Cougars will face Leonardtown, the team that beat them in the 2006 state final, later this week at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Catonsville.

Seven starters returned from the title-winning team, including Whitney and Margelos. But with seniors Heather Amato and Sarah Crim out with season-ending injuries, coach Peg Keiller started eight juniors and a sophomore alongside Whitney and defensive midfielder Lane Kurkjian.

"We had some new players who fit right in," said Keiller, who also won a state championship in 2002. "We've kind of cultivated an attitude for hard work and a desire for success. When players come into the program, they know what's expected of them."

Mitch Rubin's Thomas Johnson program, on the other hand, is just getting under way. After seven seasons as coach of the boys program, including a share of the 2006 state title, Rubin led the girls to a record of 16-5-1 and the 4A North Region title in his first season.

The Patriots' youth is more by design than the Cougars; goalie Sarah Thompson was their only senior starter Saturday. She was one of only two members of the Class of 2009 on the entire roster, compared to six in each of the other three classes.

"When we got together at the beginning of the season, we talked about winning conference, region and state titles," Rubin said. "Yes, it's exciting that so many of these players are coming back. But is that a guarantee we'll be in this situation again? Absolutely not."

Both teams created chances during a fast-paced second half and two 10-minute overtime periods. Thomas Johnson's Becca Hemby actually bulged the net in the 4th minute of the first overtime, but the offside flag was raised, wiping the goal off the board.

While neither team lit the scoreboard after 100 minutes, goals came fast and furious during the shootout. Hemby, Monica Omelchenko, Sara Franciscovich, Natalie Dold, Erin Jeanneret and Anne Powell converted in succession for Thomas Johnson. Yvonne Latour, Kayla Clark, Kurkjian, Leah Prentice, Emily D'Italia and Jessica Row matched them each time for Quince Orchard.

It came down to Whitney, who leapt to her left to catch the Patriots' final, chest-high penalty. Whitney has seen penalty kicks before; she was in goal when the Cougars won the '07 state title in PKs.

"You just have to pick a side and go with it," Whitney said. "I think that experience definitely helped; we know what we need to do. ... We wanted to be here again. We always thought we were capable of it."

The Washington Post: Quince Orchard Reaches Maryland 4A Final Via Penalty Kicks

2008-11-09T16:46:00.005-05:00

Girls' Soccer Roundup
By Soraya McDonald and Robert Fulton
Sunday, November 9, 2008; Page D13

Quince Orchard's Ele Margelos watches her game-winning penalty kick elude Thomas Johnson goalie Sarah Thompson, ending a scoreless battle.(By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)

The Cougars, defending state champions, earned the right to defend their title by holding off Thomas Johnson, 7-6, in penalty kicks after playing to a scoreless tie through double overtime.

The Cougars (14-2) advanced to the state final for the third straight season, where they will meet Leonardtown.

Junior forward Ele Margelos hit the sudden-death goal to seal the win for Quince Orchard. Whitney caught Sara Franciscovich's attempt square in the chest.

"My worst thing is taking PK's," Margelos said. "I hate PK's, but I had to do it. I was going to throw up I was so scared, but I came out, and it went forward."

Quince Orchard's Ele Margelos watches her game-winning penalty kick elude Thomas Johnson goalie Sarah Thompson, ending a scoreless battle. (Photo Credit: By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post Photo)

For much of the season, Thomas Johnson's effective sweeping kept the team out of jams, and it saved the Patriots (14-3-1) on countless occasions last night against Quince Orchard's relentless top three.

Senior goalkeeper Sarah Thompson finished with 11 saves, while Whitney finished with six, including the game-winner.

"It's kind of a coin toss at that point because you just never know what the other team's got in terms of goal-keeping and penalty kick takers," Quince Orchard Coach Peg Keiller said. "It definitely evens things out that could have shifted one way. To be honest, what I was thinking when we were going into PK's is that, 'I'll be really upset to not win this game tonight, not having given up a goal in the playoffs so far.' " . . .

Digital Sports: Quince Orchard slides past Thomas Johnson 7-6 in PK's

2008-11-09T15:00:00.005-05:00

Whitney and Margelo's combine for Cougars' win

by Amy Russell
arussell@digitalsports.com

(see Digital Sports for great photos to purchase and videos of the game)

After two halves and two overtimes of scoreless, soccer Quince Orchard's varsity girls' soccer team defeated Thomas Johnson, 7-6, in penalty kicks, Saturday night, to advance to the 4A State Finals, where they will face Leonardtown, next Saturday.

The competition was intense, at Richard Montgomery high school, as the game sailed 0-0 through double overtime into a penalty kick shootout. Six players from each team went head to head with the opposing goalie, each earning a point for their team. The turning point came in round seven when Amanda Whitney produced what would be the game-winning save for the Cougars, who prevailed seconds later when junior Ele Margelos sent the ball flying into the back of net, touching off a joyous celebration for Quince Orchard.

"I hate PK's, they're my worst thing," said Margelos, still shaking from the nerves. "But I had to suck it up and try to make it.'

She did.

Whitney identified with Margelos' nervousness.

"We take penalty kicks in practice, but nothing in practice compares," she said.

"We do practice penalty kicks," said head coach Peg Keiller. "We try to replicate the feeling...but nothing can really replicate that kind of pressure."

But the practice paid off, as despite the nerves, the pairs' success during the shootout was enough to take the Cougars back to the state finals for the second time in the last three years.

Photos: "Eye on the Ball" Photography

2008-11-09T14:09:00.001-05:00

Brenda Dunham of Eye on the Ball Photography was on hand to photograph both the Maryland 4a Regional Finals and the 4a State Semifinals.

Regional Final Photos

State Semifinal Photos

Please contact Brenda directly (info on that site) for photos.

QO wins tough one to advance

2008-11-09T06:25:00.003-05:00

The Cougars advanced to the State Finals with a win on PKs (7-6) last night against the Patriots from Thomas Johnson High School.

The Cougars and the Patriots from Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, MD played 100 minutes of close scoreless soccer last night at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD.

The game came to the most nerve racking and stressful ending for players, coaches and fans alike, the dreaded PKs!

The eventual victory was to go to QO at 7-6. All seven QO PK kickers made their shots:
Junior Yvonne Latour, Junior Kayla Clarke, Senior Lane Kurkjian, Junior Leah Prentice, Junior Emily D'Italia, Junior Jessica Row and the game winner scored by Junior Ele Margelos. Senior Amanda Whitney for the second game in a row, a huge save to set up the winning shot from Ele.

Congratulations Cougars, and you are off to your third consecutive State Final Match!

Let's go Cougars!

The Gazette: Two repeats in Class 4A soccer

2008-11-05T09:51:00.002-05:00

Magruder boys, Quince Orchard girls are regional champions again

by Dan Greenberg | Staff Writer
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008

It was a banner night for last year's two Class 4A state soccer champions Monday on Richard Montgomery High's artificial turf field. The Magruder boys and Quince Orchard girls captured 4A West Region titles in distinctive, yet equally compelling, 1-0 victories.

...(see above link for first half of article on Magruder boys)...

In contrast to their triumphant counterparts on the boys side, the Quince Orchard girls were the favorites going into the 7 p.m. matchup against Whitman. The Cougars, seeded third in the tournament, had a 12-2 record entering their fourth-consecutive appearance in a regional final, as opposed to the No. 9 Vikings, who were just 10-4.
The second half of Monday night's doubleheader turned out to be a direct foil to the opening game, as well. There were no early scores; instead, it took two overtimes to determine a winner.

But at the 8:13 mark of sudden death, Quince Orchard junior forward Ele Margelos struck on a breakaway for the game-ending goal, just seconds after goalkeeper Amanda Whitney saved an uncontested shot from the Vikings' Lucy Arledge.

The goal propelled the Cougars to a state semifinal bout with the 4A North champion - either of two Frederick County schools, Thomas Johnson or Linganore - Saturday at 5 p.m., again at Richard Montgomery.

"Amanda saved our butts today," said Margelos. "It's just a great day. States: Here we go again."

QO defeats Whitman 1-0 in OT (2) to win 4A West Regional Final

2008-11-04T16:32:00.003-05:00

And here are said details:

The game was played on the beautiful new turf field at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD. You could not ask for a more perfect venue for a Regional Final, and in fact the State Semi-final will be played on the same field.

All game long the Cougars possessed the ball extremely well, moving the ball around the field, playing our pattern possession style of play. The midfield was well connected with each other and the defense and forwards also were in top form. Chances and opportunities were plentiful for both teams, but we made it all the way through regulation to a 0-0 tie.

In the first OT period both teams continued much as they had for the previous 80 minutes with some slight pick-up in pace towards the end of the first OT.

The second OT got off to a rocking start as Junior forward Leah Prentice had an awesome run down the left side, cut in and blasted a ball off the crossbar! A minute later Whitman had a 1 v 1 with the Cougar keeper, and Senior Goal Keeper Amanda Whitney charged off her line to cut the angle and came up with a huge save to deny Whitman's goal! Seconds after that play te ball was expertly brought up field with a series of deft passes by Yvonne Latour, Emily D'Italia, Julie Starnes to Latour again, who fed Junior Ele Margelos, who beat her defender and drilled a left footed shot into the upper left corner of the Whitman goal! QO wins in the 2nd OT period 1-0!

Said Coach Keiller, "If it wasn't for our goalkeeper making a clutch save, we wouldn't have won that game, there were chances down the stretch to score for both teams."

State Semi Finals are Saturday at Richard Montgomery High School and Coach Keiller informs me that we are the home team! Go Cougars!

The Wasghington Post: Whitney's Experience in Goal Saves Day for Quince Orchard

2008-11-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

Soccer Roundup

By Soraya Nadia McDonald and Dave Yanovitz
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, November 4, 2008; Page E04

On the eve of election night, Quince Orchard was making a strong case for experience.

The 2007 Maryland 4A girls' soccer champion moved a step closer toward defending its title with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Whitman last night in the 4A West Region final, and it did so with the help of a player who made the difference in last year's title game.

Senior goalkeeper Amanda Whitney made a one-on-one save early in the second overtime to give the Cougars their game-winning opportunity.

Once Whitney cleared the ball, Julie Starnes passed to Ele Margelos, who sent a left-footed shot into the net. "If it wasn't for my goalkeeper making a clutch save, we wouldn't have won that game," Quince Orchard Coach Peg Keiller said by telephone. "There were a lot of chances down the stretch" for Whitman to score. . . .

In the 3A West Region, No. 3 Bethesda-Chevy Chase notched a 2-1 win over defending 3A champion Urbana, a team the Barons lost to in the region final last year on penalty kicks.

"Our seniors this year had a little extra energy tonight to not have Urbana end our season two years in a row," B-CC Coach Rob Kurtz said.

Digital Sports: Girls Soccer: Quince Orchard 1, Whitman 0 (2OT)

2008-11-04T09:20:00.010-05:00

Published: 11/03/2008
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Defending champion Cougars get double overtime goal from Ele Margelos in 4A West finals

(see Digital Sports for great photos to purchase and videos of the game)

As Quince Orchard was about to receive it's plaque for winning the 4A West girls soccer region title, Coach Peg Keiller directed it into the hands of senior goalie Amanda Whitney.

"I was surprised," Whitney said. "I thought Ele [Margelos] was going to get it given she had the winning goal. Maybe seniority?"

No, it's because if Whitney hadn't made a game-winning save in double overtime, Ele Margelos would have never had a chance at a game-winning goal. And if it weren't for both, Quince Orchard wouldn't have beaten Whitman, 1-0, Monday at Richard Montgomery.

The defending 4A champion Cougars will next face the winner of the 4A North between Thomas Johnson and Linganore Saturday at Richard Montgomery at 5 p.m. Quince Orchard (13-2) avenged a 1-0 regular season loss to Whitman (10-5), but it certainly didn't come easy.

Each team had several quality scoring chance during regulation but the first overtime didn't provide much drama.

The second overtime had a completely different energy, as Lane Kurkjian knocked a shot off the crossbar in the first 30 seconds. The resulting goal kick sparked a Whitman run that looked as if would end the game. Whitman centered a ball to Lucy Arledge in the first minute of overtime. Arledge was 1-on-1 with Whitney but the goalie came careening out of the goal, slid and knocked the shot away.

"It was very frantic at times," Whitney said. "I'm sure everyone's adrenaline was rushing. It was crazy. ... I'm sure a lot of people thought that was the end of the game."

Think of Whitney's save as an assist. Only about a minute later, junior midfielder Yvonne Latour started a Quince Orchard push by stealing the ball in the Cougars' back third. Two passes later the ball was back on Latour's foot and she fed a through ball to Margelos, who was then 1-on-1 with a defender.

Margelos, a 5-foot-0 junior, made one juke to her left to get past the defender and struck the left-footed shot into the top left corner of the goal, sending the Quince Orchard girls screaming and streaming onto the field.

"I just tried to go by the defender and I did and I shot it in the left corner and we won," Margelos said. "We have heart and we keep pushing and pushing. We came out and tried to do our best and we won."

Quince Orchard's season began a bit shaky for a defending champion as the Cougars lost two games in their first six, with the latter being a 4-3 loss to Walter Johnson on Oct. 3.

The team was still trying to find its style of play without graduated midfielder Ariel Nehemiah, who scored 15 goals and added seven assists last year and now plays at the University of Maryland. What the Cougars have found is a handful of players who have banded together to bring the Cougars to the state tournament once again.

"There's no one person who's doing the bulk of the work load," Keiller said. "I don't think we have any girl on the team with more than three game-winning goals this year. It's different people every time. I think that's what's great for us and tough for others."

QO wins 4A West Regional Title

2008-11-04T04:16:00.001-05:00

QO won the 4A West regional title last night 1-0 on a goal scored in the 2nd overtime by junior forward Ele Margelos.

Details to follow this afternoon!

The Gazette: QO girls top Blair, to meet Whitman

2008-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-30T21:47:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

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.

2008-10-28T21:44:00.006-04:00

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

2008-10-25T16:43:00.003-04:00

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.

2008-10-21T22:01:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-21T12:02:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-20T15:55:00.001-04:00

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

JV Patriots speed past Cougars, 4-2

2008-10-20T15:11:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-18T22:34:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-17T16:09:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-16T21:21:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-14T12:18:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-13T21:38:00.004-04:00

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

2008-10-09T13:52:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-09T12:04:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-07T21:32:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-06T20:46:00.002-04:00

"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

2008-10-06T13:10:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-03T22:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-01T21:37:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-01T15:02:00.001-04:00

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

JV Cougars Nip Jaguars, 2-1

2008-09-29T14:35:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-24T04:09:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-23T13:21:00.010-04:00

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

2008-09-22T21:47:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-17T14:32:00.009-04:00

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

2008-09-17T14:32:00.008-04:00

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.

2008-09-16T22:12:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-16T17:00:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-13T10:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-12T16:12:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-10T21:49:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-10T21:00:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-09T21:05:00.004-04:00

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