Lady 'Rines Stand Up to Damascus

Sixty tense minutes of regulation, a pair of exasperating 10-minute overtimes and five shootout tries weren’t enough for Damascus to crack a resolute Watkins Mill squad on Monday, the latest proof of the Wolverines’ much-improved field hockey prowess.

Winning last year's match-up handily, Damascus dominated possession for long stretches on Monday, especially in the second half and overtime. They outshot Watkins Mill by a wide margin, but couldn’t beat sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Gardner, who came up with save after clutch save as the Hornets swarmed to the crease.

Though the Wolverines had a handful of late chances to steal the win—including on their final turn in the shootout—the scoreless tie gives Coach Michelle Petit a clearer sense of her team's resolve when pitted against the county's more competitive teams. 

"We’ve never even come close to beating Damascus, so it’s a pretty big deal in terms of showing how far we’ve come," she said. "It was our first true test of how good we are."

Damascus walked to an easy win last year, and Damascus coach Amanda Quay expected a similar—if tougher—result on Monday. But the quantum leap is far bigger than expected.

"Talking with other coaches, I knew that Watkins Mill has stepped up their game this year," Quay said. "Speed is a big factor. I have a big squad, so I can sub a lot and keep players fresh, and this is the first team that’s really been able to run with us."

The tie moves Watkins Mill to 3-0-1 on the season, an improbable unbeaten record that, on the heels of their 1-0 win over Einstein, their 8-0 blowout of Northwood and their season-opening upset of Northwest, is sending a message to the rest of Montgomery County: These aren’t the Lady ‘Rines of yesteryear.

"It might be the first time they notice us," Pettit said. "We hope to really capitalize on that advantage."