Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007
There had been murmurings in county soccer circles about the Walter Johnson girls soccer team’s resurgence in 2007. And the Wildcats validated them Monday with an impressive 4-1 route of defending Class 4A West Region champion Quince Orchard in Gaithersburg.
Monday’s victory catapulted Walter Johnson (8-1-0, 3-0 in the Montgomery 4A West Division) into sole possession of first place in its division and marked the first time the Wildcats have beaten the Cougars (7-2-0, 2-1) since their 2002 run to the Class 4A state semifinals.
‘‘Before [Monday’s] game everyone was saying that maybe we weren’t as good as our record showed, that maybe the only reason we were 7-1 was because we didn’t play as good teams,” said junior forward Caroline Miller who tallied a goal and two assists in the win. ‘‘Well, we shut everyone else up. We are playing as well as we show. It was really nice to come out and work as a team and pull that win off.”
Playing well as a team is exactly what enabled Walter Johnson to dominate the Cougars Monday. Miller, who broke the school’s all-time career scoring record last week and has scored in eight of nine games this year, is always a heavily marked player.
And while the Cougars held the crafty speedster to just one goal Monday, the Wildcats displayed their offensive versatility, with four different players finding the net — Miller, sophomore midfielder⁄defender Lauren Levine, junior midfielder Christine Walsh, sophomore defender Catherine Madden.
The Wildcats employed stellar one-touch, quick-passing style soccer Monday to keep Quince Orchard scrambling. The Wildcats seemingly effortlessly advanced the ball up field, composed, keeping the Cougars’ defense under constant pressure in the first half — Walter Johnson scored all its goals in the first 28 minutes of Monday’s contest.
‘‘Everyone knew they were going to be tough this year,” Quince Orchard nine-year coach Peg Keiller said. ‘‘When you have a player as good as Caroline Miller surrounded by other very talented players, that’s just a great combination.”
Perhaps the biggest factor Monday was Walter Johnson’s impenetrable defense. Scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Wildcats — they’re averaging about four goals a game. The back line has been strong as well, but Monday, led by sophomore goalkeeper Roya Hakimzadeh (13 saves), junior Mitra Ebrahimi and senior Mollie Reiss, the Wildcats deflected a barrage of 18 Quince Orchard shots.
Cougars senior forward Christie Shell found the net in the 30th minute to cut Walter Johnson’s lead to 4-1 at halftime. Despite being hampered by a lingering back injury, it was Shell’s sixth goal of the season.
‘‘Normally I’d take Roya out to start the second half and put one of our other three goalies in there,” Wildcats coach Tom Wheeler said. ‘‘She had actually started to go out and warm-up our freshman goalie Jessica Goldstone at halftime and I pulled them off the field. I just had a gut feeling. She’d done such a good job. She’d dominated the box. Anything that was loose she came out and got it.”
The Cougars’ performance Monday was uncharacteristic of their normally aggressive play. They were hesitant from the start, almost intimidated by Miller and the night’s occasion — it was a big division matchup. Quince Orchard deviated from its short-passing style and resorted to long-ball soccer. And though, led by Shell, sophomore forward Ele Margelos and senior forward Ariel Nehemiah, the Cougars controlled possession in the second half, it just couldn’t capitalize.
The Wildcats were ecstatic with Monday’s big win. But they know they’re only halfway through a long season and can’t celebrate too much.
‘‘This is certainly a confidence-builder for the girls,” Wheeler said. ‘‘They can improve their self belief out of it. But we haven’t won anything yet.”
Rockville streaking
The Rockville High girls soccer team won its sixth consecutive game Monday, knocking off Montgomery 3A⁄2A⁄1A Division foe Kennedy, 4-2.
The Rams (6-1-0) have now tallied more wins in seven games than in any of the previous three seasons.
Three-year Rams coach Mike Hayes never doubted his team’s ability. But he’s admittedly surprised as to just how well Rockville’s started 2007 — it’s now 3-0 in its division, and in contention for the title.
‘‘We’re doing great,” Hayes said. ‘‘It’s awesome. Everyone’s surprised. We’re shocking ourselves. I wasn’t expecting this, but I was certainly hoping for it. To be 6-1 right now is unbelievable.”
Part of what makes this year’s early success so unexpected is the Rams lost their leading scorer the last two seasons, Mel Turner. But, led by senior forward Emily Owen, who scored three goals Monday, and junior midfielder Jen Civick, who added Rockville’s other goal, they’ve overcome that with a more balanced attack, and better cohesion.
‘‘We’re playing better as a team,” Hayes said. ‘‘Last year we had that one great player and everyone kind of just watched her when she got the ball. Now they’ve had the opportunity to step up and play. We don’t have that one star anymore.”
Rockville’s resurgence has sparked renewed interest in the program. And that excitement, coupled with their stellar record, has increased the Rams’ desire to practice and improve. And that’ll only help as they enter the final stretch of the season and playoffs.
‘‘Everything’s a lot more fun when you’re winning,” Hayes said. ‘‘The girls are playing awesome. The girls are happy, there’s more school spirit. They’re taking me for a good ride.”
