Girls varsity soccer makes history

Nov. 1, WATKINS MILL—

The Blazers made history tonight in their victory over the Watkins Mill Wolverines (10-5-1) as the first varsity girls soccer team to win two rounds of playoffs and make it to semifinals since Blair was established in 1935. Although the final score was tight at 1-0, the Blazers played with heart and intensity through the final seconds, and their record now stands at 7-6-1.

In the beginning of the first half, ball possession was relatively even between the two teams, but by the fifteenth minute, the Wolverines began to take control. Their seemingly impenetrable defense and superior communication and transitioning allowed the Wolverines to begin dominating possession and getting more chances at the goal.

Fortunately, even Watkins Mill's aggressive forwards could not defeat Blair's defensive power force, despite their home field advantage. Junior keeper Maggie Sullivan had countless saves and, with the support of the relentless defensive line in front of her, the Blazers refused to let a shot slip by them.

Up front, however, Blair's impatience and anxiety grew as they struggled to net a goal. At one point deep into the half, senior sweeper Sophie Esparza had a free kick that landed right behind the Wolverine's line of defense, but Blair's strikers failed to follow through with a strong shot on goal, and instead the ball rolled just wide of the goal corner. At half time, the score stood at 0-0, and the outcome of the game remained unpredictable based on the fruitless performances of both teams.

In the second half, Blair came onto the field with a resonating determination to take control of the game. Although coach Robert Gibb admitted that Watkins Mill had an "edge" in the first half, he explained that Blair is a "highly adaptive" team that knows how to turn the tables around. "Once they made the adjustments, they started banging up the field, and we took it to `em," he said. Five minutes into the half, Esparza delivered a beautiful corner kick that freshman Annie Worden knocked into the goal, thus netting her twelfth goal of the season and bringing the score to 1-0. This goal boosted Blair's confidence, giving the Blazers an even greater incentive to maintain their lead.

Five minutes later, Blair's defense stopped a flurry of scoring opportunities that was reminiscent of a chaotic pinball game. Sullivan blocked a forceful shot that bounced directly back to another Watkins Mill striker, who immediately took a second shot that Esparza successfully stopped. The ball was then ricocheted back towards the goal by yet another Wolverine striker, but its path was cut short this time by junior Becca Vogel, who headed it away from the net. The Blair defense finally cleared the ball from their end, proving that no matter how hard Watkins Mill attacked them, the Wolverines would not prevail.

As Blair repeatedly shut down their opponent's shots, the wheels started coming off the previously faster Watkins Mill team. Midway through the second half, the dejected Wolverines seemed no match for the newly energized Blazers, who were connecting passes and communicating significantly better than before. Even in the final minutes, Blair did not let their lead get to their heads - they battled until the referee blew the game-ending whistle.

Senior captain Sarah Rumbaugh attributed this persistence to Blair's numerous experiences with close losses, saying that the Blazers know how painful it is to lose a game that they deserved, and they don't want to repeat their mistakes. "I think that the season prepared us for the playoffs, because we've finally evolved and learned how to win close games," said Rumbaugh. She pointed out that both teams that Blair has thus far defeated in the playoffs – Damascus in the first round (3-0) and Watkins Mill in the second – had been victorious over Blair in double overtime games during the season.

After the game, the triumphant Blazers embraced each other, and ran off the field with expressions of happiness and pride on their faces. Gibb was equally excited, and he announced to the girls how honored he felt to be able to work with such a talented and cohesive team. "What's special about this team is that we really care about each other and were coming together at the right time."

Gibb went on to explain that this was an especially satisfying win for the Blazers, not only because they made Blair history, but because it was the revenge they had been hoping for after their double-overtime 1-0 loss to Watkins Mill several weeks ago.

According to Gibb, Blair is beginning to make substantial progress and to earn a better reputation in recent years by beating such esteemed teams as Walter Johnson, Churchill, Damascus and Watkins Mill for the first time. In coaching the team to these victories, Gibb says that the greatest challenge is developing his players' mental game. "The psychology is the hardest thing - to make them believe that they can beat any team."

Gibb feels confident about entering the semi-finals, and he expects the team to never give up. "We're on a mission," he said. "We don't want this thing to end."

Blair will play at Quince Orchard on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. for the regional semi-finals.

Note: Special thanks to assistant note-taker Cate Rassman, class of `06, and to inspirational commentator John MacDonald, Silver Chips Managing Sports Editor, class of `80.