Contact: Jenni Brockman
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scotties Post Long Awaited Win Over St. Catherine's; Defeat Virginia Episcopal Senior Elizabeth Sadler Leads the Way
St. Margaret's varsity soccer center-forward and team tri-captain Elizabeth Sadler was quite familiar with her team's opponent last Wednesday, January 13th-St. Catherine's School in Richmond. Sadler, in her fifth varsity season since joining the team as an eighth grader in 1994 - 95, had never beaten St. Catherine's-until last Wednesday.
A day student who lives in Louisa, Va, Sadler was thirsty for revenge as she sought to wash away the bitter taste of combined losses to St. Catherine's School over the previous four seasons. "I knew this was my last chance [as a senior]; I was determined to get the win," said Sadler. "I didn't want to lose [to them] again, as a senior."
However, the contest pitted two very talented squads against one another; a victory for either team would not be easily achieved. St. Margaret's fell behind early, 0 - 1, following a strong Saints penalty kick driven past SMS goalie Cynthia Walker in the game's opening minutes. The Scotties then awakened offensively as SMS' frontline put its soccer poetry into motion in the form of a brilliant "whole-field" attack that pressured St. Catherine's defense.
"We were super aggressive and not intimidated by any 50/50 balls. We communicated well as a team and played to our strengths," said Head Coach Karen McCann of her team's play. "It was our best single game performance of the season." The Scotties' teamwork and strong play gave them superior field position for the remainder of the first half and most of the second half.
Sadler scored first for the Scotties with a header goal midway through the first half. This evened the score at 1 - 1. With ten minutes remaining in the game, Sadler scored her second goal on a penetrating drive through a pack of Saints defenders. Sadler's frontline mates also came up big, as sophomore forward Sara Shelton scored a second half goal to give SMS a 2 - 1 lead; Kim Houck, Lacey Wright, Anne Bruce, and Carol Combs added pressure, leading the Scotties (4 - 1 overall, 4 - 0 League of Independent Schools Conference) to their first win over St. Catherine's in five seasons. Tappahannock - SMS improved its League of Independent Schools Conference record to 4 - 0 with its victory over Virginia Episcopal School last Friday, January 15th. The game was played on the Scotties home field adjacent to Tappahannock Middle School.
Despite a relentless wind and cold temperatures, the game quickly heated up as the teams battled for league bragging rights. The Scotties had defeated Virginia Episcopal School (VES) 5 - 1 earlier in the season in Lynchburg, but knew that this time around greater effort would be required. Despite being dominated by an aggressive SMS offense, Bishop held its own against the Scotties for nearly forty five minutes of play, keeping the game scoreless for most of the second half.
Senior center-forward Elizabeth Sadler broke through the Saints defense to score the go ahead goal late in the second half, that resulted in a 1 - 0 win for the Scotties.
SMS senior defensive-wing Lesley Newman held off a late Bishop attack by "booting" kicks far down field. Newman encouraged her SMS defensive cohorts to follow suit. "We were happy to win. There was no way any of us wanted the game to go into overtime. It was cold. We wanted to go home," commented Newman.
Head Coach McCann and Assistant Coach Duncan congratulated the VES players and coaches following the game. The VES Head Coach remarked, "I think the team to beat right now in the [L.I.S.] conference is St. Margaret's." "I sure hope so," McCann answered.
(pictured l. to r.) St. Margaret's Varsity Soccer Head Coach, Karen McCann; Assistant Coach, Hollis Duncan; forward, Beth Wilson; and defensive-wing, Kelly Proctor (knit cap) look down field during last Friday's game versus Virginia Episcopal.