St. Margaret’s spring sports got off to a solid start as the soccer, softball, crew and tennis teams challenged their first rivals of the season.

Soccer: The St. Margaret’s varsity soccer team faced Richmond’s Steward School on April 18 in a heart-stopping game. The Scotties defended their goal until the last 30 seconds, when Steward slipped one past Goalie Eileen Tsai, ending the competition in a 1-0 defeat for SMS.

At an April 11 away game in Richmond, the Scotties valiantly fought off attacks from St. Catherine’s, who ultimately defeated them, 2-0. On their home turf on April 4, St. Margaret’s players had a shaky start against the Steward School, only to come back strong in the second half to post a decisive 5-2 win. The soccer Scotties began their season with a March 29 non-league game against Fredericksburg Academy that ended in a 2-0 loss.

St. Margaret’s hosts Northumberland High School on Wednesday, April 26 at 4:00 p.m. at the Essex Intermediate School field.

Softball: St. Margaret’s varsity softball team faced Richmond’s Collegiate School at home on April 18. Highlights included a double by senior Kate Turnage of Hague and an RBI from senior Alison Ryan of Tappahannock. Despite their best efforts, the game ended in a 6-2 defeat for the Scotties.

On April 11, St. Margaret’s varsity softball team defeated Charlottesville’s St. Anne’s-Belfield School in an away game that ended 10-6. Despite well-played games by the Scotties, Richmond’s Trinity Episcopal School defeated SMS 4-3 on April 6, and 5-0 on April 4. St. Margaret’s fought its way into extra innings in a March 30 game against Richmond’s St. Catherine’s School, but ultimately fell to the Saints, 9-5.

After an April 25 rematch at Collegiate, the Scotties will face St. Gertrude’s in Richmond on April 28.

Crew: At the April 8 Broad Bay Crew Classic at Lake Whitehurst, St. Margaret’s rowers placed well, despite cold and windy conditions. In the Women's Varsity Four, Coxswain SuJin Jeon, Varsity Captain Abbey Potter, junior Taylor Bryant, sophomore Stephanie Hanson of Gloucester and senior Brooke Shafer put all of their power and endurance to work, coming in second.

In the Junior Varsity Four, senior Alex Newman of Lancaster, sophomores Gabi Price and Hannah Kessler, freshman Scarlett Gregory of King William and Coxswain Laurie Wilbur, an eighth-grader from Tappahannock, reinforced their reputation for ferocious starts. They placed second in their race.

Both the varsity and junior varsity rowers took part in the Novice Eight race. The first SMS team comprised rowers Jeon, Newman, Potter, Bryant, Hanson, Shafer, Price, Kessler and Gregory. Coxswain Wilbur, sophomore Danielle Creel of Dunnsville, freshman Holly Wever-Christian of Aylett, junior Rhianna Toner and Novice Captain Christine Faulkner joined four rowers from other schools to also compete in the race. Both teams put in good performances and surmounted technical difficulties, with the varsity team placing second and the SMS novices following closely to come in third.

Head Coach Maren LaLiberty is pleased with her teams’ performance. She is confident in her varsity rowers, and notes that under the leadership of Captain Christine Faulkner, “this novice team has a lot of potential.”

St. Margaret’s rowing teams will compete in the Eastern Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association Regionals on Saturday, April 29 at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Tennis: Scotty tennis players have used their season thus far to perfect their skills, and evidence of the young team’s growing potential is starting to show. Highlights include a win by freshman Florence Snyder in an April 7 match against Charlottesville’s Covenant School. The team hosts Rappahannock High School on Wednesday, April 26 at 4:00 p.m.