Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357 (w); 804-443-2703 (h)
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Margaret's Wins Big Over Foxcroft
St. Margaret's varsity soccer team continued its dominance this season with an easy victory over Foxcroft School on a sleepy afternoon last Thursday, January 21st.
The game, played on SMS' home field adjacent to Essex Intermediate School, was scheduled as the second of two meetings between SMS and Foxcroft last week, but icy conditions on Foxcroft's home field in Middleburg, VA forced Tuesday's game earlier in the week to be cancelled.
Junior Halfback Chase Craven (lower left) and Senior Forward Lacey Wright celebrate an SMS win.
Head Coach Karen McCann knew the stakes were low. McCann used the opportunity to give less-experienced players quality minutes, many even started. "A midseason game versus a non-league opponent is the perfect opportunity for [Assistant Coach] Mr. Duncan and me to mix things up, give reserves an opportunity to start, and keep things interesting and unpredictable. I was willing to sacrifice the game, if we had to. We really just wanted to have fun with this one," said McCann.
Sophomore center-halfback Carol Combs, of Statesboro, GA, outmatched Foxcroft's defenders with her one-on-one trickery. Combs' quick foot skills helped put the Scotties on the board first on an unassisted goal midway through the first half, to give SMS a 1 - 0 lead. Sophomore right-wing forward Sara Shelton, of Virginia Beach, scored next on a long-range kick fired past Foxcroft's goalie from 35 feet out on the perimeter.
The game deteriorated into a one-sided matchup between SMS' talented depth and Foxcroft's lack thereof, having dressed only 11 players for Thursday's game. SMS capitalized with a series of five-on/five-off substitutions implemented by McCann. "I knew we could contain them by substituting fresh players in order to take advantage of our team's depth," said McCann. SMS' attack, coupled with a stingy defense, allowed no easy scoring opportunities for Foxcroft. SMS led at halftime 2 - 0.
Senior center-forward Elizabeth Sadler added to her season goal tally, scoring an assisted goal by teammate Beth Wilson minutes into the second half. Shelton quickly put in her second goal of the game to increase the Scotties lead to 4 - 0.
Forward Chase Craven, one of the most improved players this season, scored her second goal of the season with less than ten minutes remaining. With Craven's goal, SMS (5 -1 overall; 4 - 0 League of Independent Schools Conference) shutout Foxcroft 5 - 0.
Foxcroft missed the services of two of their starters for Thursday's game due to academic commitments. "Your girls really looked strong out there," said Foxcroft's coach speaking to McCann after the game. The margin of victory was the largest cushion SMS has enjoyed this season, one goal better than a 5 - 1 win over Virginia Episcopal School in December.
The Scotties' next game will be on Thursday, January 28th at St. Anne's-Belfield, near Charlottesville.
