Wildcats Ready for Showdown Against Oakton Tonight

Update from the editor: The soccer game has now been moved from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. because of the impending severe weather. The text of this article has been changed to reflect that. 

The Centreville girls soccer team steamrolled its way to an 11-1 (4-1 in conference) regular season record, rising to as high as #7 in the country in the ESPN Rise National High School rankings before a late season loss to district foe Chantilly dropped them back to #32. But despite the national recognition, the Cats still have unfinished business, as they face their first postseason test at home on Wednesday night (5 p.m. start) in a district semi-final matchup against Oakton.

“It’s always nice to get recognition,” said Centreville coach Gary Malebranch, referring to the ESPN rankings. “But what matters is where you finish at the end of the season.” 

While Centreville cruised into the semi-final with a bye as the #1 seed, Oakton has faced more adversity, struggling through a 1-3-1 regular season district record in which they scored just two goals in four matches. But Oakton knocked off Robinson 1-0 on Tuesday night, earning a birth in the semi-final round—and after a close contest against the Cats on March 22, in which they lost just 1-0, they can’t be taken lightly.

Centreville’s offensive attack will be led by a trio of seniors who each scored six goals during the regular season and earned scholarships to play college soccer in the Fall. Isabel Chang will attend James Madison University, Mari Marotta is headed to Bridgewater College, and Katie O’Donnell will wear UNC-Wilmington’s colors. Sophomore standout Alex Myers will try to contain Oakton junior Alex Meyers (no relation), who scored six regular season goals and also tallied the lone mark to send Oakton past Robinson on Monday. 

On paper, Centreville would appear to have the edge. Both teams lost to Chantilly 1-0, but Centreville beat Westfield, while Oakton lost to them. The Cats had a plus five goal differential in district play, compared to a negative 1 for Oakton. Centreville has at least four scoring threats, whereas Oakton’s Alex Meyers and Lexie Krall were their only two players with more than 2 goals.

“If we play the way we want to, we’ll be in good shape,” said Malebranch. “I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, but if we perform well, and do the things we want to, we can be successful against anybody.”