CVHS Girls' Lacrosse Team Wins First Three Games of Season

Lacrosse: The Centreville varsity team season home opener hailed a decisive 17-3 victory for the over TC Williams.

Fast moves and an excellent stick led freshman attacker Reagan Newell to drive home eight points with five goals and three assists. Freshman midfielder Caroline Wakefield dominated the field with three goals, four assists, four ground balls, two interceptions and four draw controls. Pouncing on the TC Williams defense were Wildcat senior midfielder Maggie Dulkerian (four goals/two assists/three ground balls), junior midfielder Carly Sane (two goals), and sophomore Katherine Zempolich (one goal/one assist). Senior Hayley Anderson contributed two goals, two assists, and two draw controls. 

Two nights later Centreville’s defense was put to the first real test, with a close 11-10 win over West Springfield. Junior defensive players Danielle Smith (two turnovers/three ground balls) and Brooke Peterson (two ground balls/one caused turnover) helped to hold back a dominating West Springfield midfield.

The offense worked the field with Wakefield leading with three goals and one assist. Anderson and Newell helped pull out the win with two goals each. Double teaming by the West Springfield defense only opened up opportunities for the Wildcats, with Zempolich, sophomore Caroline Bollman, Sane and Smith each adding one goal. The Lady Wildcats have a 3-0 record to date and are scheduled to play Edison High on March 26 before spring break.

 —Aileen Anderson

Boys JV lacrosse: The team notched a win on Thursday, March 22, at West Springfield High. The team raced to a 2-0 lead in the first 1:30 of the game after a goal by Mark Mahoney, then another by Alex Rizzi on the ensuing faceoff. Additional goals by Rizzi and David Shim made the score 4-6 at the half. With the two-goal deficit, the defense held West Springfield to a single goal in the third quarter while Mahoney and Elliot Cunningham scored for the Wildcats. With five minutes left in the game, Matt Perry shot the tying goal and Cunningham made the go-ahead goal one minute later. With just one minute left on the clock, Alex Rizzi managed to get an insurance goal off a deflected pass from Cunningham for a 9-7 victory.

A cold and drizzly afternoon last Saturday was brightened by a victory for the team at Mount Vernon High. Mark Mahoney started scoring with a goal, followed by one from Alex Rizzi off a long clear. David Shim added a goal to bring the first quarter score to 3-1. The squad added five goals in the second quarter, made by Colin Reynolds, Mark Mahoney, two by Elliot Cunningham, and another by Rizzi. The score at halftime was 8-4, and third quarter goals by Shim and Rizzi brought the score to 10-6.

The shower of rain and goals intensified in the fourth quarter as Brian Yoo, Kyle Roarty, Brooks Anderson and Corey Spriggs each scored, while Rizzi and Cunningham (two) added to their totals. The defense continued to make great stops and clears, shutting down Mount Vernon in the fourth for a final score of 17-6.

The JV squad’s current record stands at 3-0-1.

—Lance Bowden

Girls' soccer: In their second home game of the season March 19, the Wildcats' girls varsity soccer team earned their first regular-season win behind a strong offensive effort against an athletic squad from Alexandria's TC Williams High School.

Junior midfielder opened the scoring, hitting a hard driving shot from outside the penalty area into the net past the TC Williams goalkeeper. Minutes later, sophomore Jenna Green sped through the Titans' defense and slipped a well-placed shot to the far corner of the net. Myers then scored her second goal of the night, and the game stood at 3-0 going into half time.

Opening the second half scoring, junior defender Lindsey Egbers sent a beautiful free kick into the top of the net, tallying her first goal of the season. Freshman Bella Muzo then followed up with a fifth goal for the Wildcats, coming in from behind the Titans' defense to tuck the ball into the net. The midfield and forwards successfully possessed the ball through the entire game, resulting in a 5-0 win before the game was called due to lightning with 24 minutes remaining on the clock. The defense held strong and withstood TC Williams' counter-attacks, ensuring that goalie Tori Collar kept a clean sheet on the night. Sophomore forward Madi Simons had a fantastic game, showing energy, speed, and cleverness throughout the match. The boys' varsity soccer team, having played earlier in the evening, was in attendance in the student section and kept a steady stream of cheers and lively banter going throughout the game, adding to the game atmosphere. 

Following a subsequent 1-0 win over host West Springfield on Friday, March 23, the Lady Wildcats soccer team record now stands at 2-1-1; they are slated to battle McLean at home on March 27, then Wakefield High in an away game on March 29.

—Kathy Hull

Girls tennis: The Lady Wildcats tennis team had a tough night on Tuesday, March 20th, losing their first match of the season, 8-1, to Robinson. Coach Leslie O’Connor reports that Courts #3, 4, and 5 singles were very close games, as were courts #1 and 2 in doubles play.

Many team members are playing varsity tennis for the first time: the lineup includes 1 Singles, Jamie Schoshinski; 2 Singles, Jessica Jassal; 3 Singles, , 4 Singles, Esther Yoon; 5 Singles, Rebekah Lee; and 6 Singles, Kimberly Townsend.

In doubles play, the lineup includes 1 Doubles Jamie Schoshinski/Ali Dyer; 2 Doubles Sapna Rao/Jessica Jassal; and 3 Doubles Sarah Alberstein/Tanya Kumar.

The Lady Wildcats are due to face in an away game on Tuesday, March 27.

Varsity and JV softball: The JV softball team kept their winning streak alive as they defeat Briar Woods High School on Wednesday, March 21, by a score of 22-8 in a five-inning match-up. 

The win was due to the tremendous collaboration of each Wildcat from an offensive and defensive standpoint. The run production for the Wildcats exploded in the first inning and did not stop until the final out of the game.  Sophomore Natalie Hopkins went 4-4 with two walks, a single, triple, four runs scored, two RBI's and one stolen base. Sophomore Victoria Richards recorded a double and three runs scored. Freshman Rachel Lee had a multi-hit game and Junior Brianna Carrazana had a two-RBI single. The pitcher for Centreville, sophomore Sarah Hudson, clinched the win by striking out five.

The Wildcats host Robinson High School on Tuesday, April 10th at 6:30 p.m.

—Danielle Murray and Kara Weiner

Varsity softball: The Varsity softball team fell to Lake Braddock and Briar Woods early this week before starting the Madison Spring Break Tournament on Saturday, March 24 at home with a solid victory against R. E. Lee. 

The Lady Wildcats will be preparing for the remainder of the Madison tournament this week and will continue the tournament play with games scheduled on both Saturday, March 31 and Monday, April 2 (times TBD).

—Alana Love and Lynne Wilson

Varsity baseball: The varsity baseball team continued their unbeaten streak by defeating Wakefield HS, 10-0, in 6 innings on Thursday, March 22.

Senior catcher Bobby San Martin led the team, going 2-4 with a double. Pitchers Mitch Mahoney and Carson Bach combined for a one-hitter and struck out 8 Wakefield batters. 

The 4-0 Wildcats are scheduled to take on Flint Hill Academy on Wednesday, March 28 at home at 6:30pm before leaving for their spring break tournament in Orlando, Florida; games there will be held April 2-6.

—Chris Barron