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The Blair girls soccer team learned a lesson the hard way in last year's 4A West Region semifinal loss to Quince Orchard: Winning ugly is better than losing pretty.
The Blazers didn't exactly look bad in Tuesday's 2-0 regional quarterfinal win over visiting Walter Johnson, but it wasn't their best outing either. Nevertheless, the tournament's No. 3 seed is still in the hunt for its first regional title.
Blair (11-1-0) will play at top-seeded Bethesda-Chevy Chase, a 3-1 winner over Wootton Tuesday, in Thursday's semifinal.
"We definitely do not get style points," Blair coach Bob Gibb said. "We had a lot of marking issues. It happens in games; it can be uneven. But we learned last year it is about winning games."
With stalwart defender Imani Pierre anchoring its back line, Blair gave up just seven goals this fall. Walter Johnson (7-6-1) had two of them in the teams' regular season matchup, during which the Wildcats led 2-0 in the first 20 minutes before falling, 3-2.
Thursday was a continuation of that match. Both teams, displaying contrasting styles of play, created their share of scoring opportunities, though impenetrable defense was the story early.
For a split second in the 52nd minute, Walter Johnson dropped back too far, and Blazers sophomore Jamie Kator made the Wildcats pay with a rocket inside the right post. Junior forward and top scorer Sofia Read exploded past Walter Johnson's defense to hammer a 12-yard shot into the back of the net for the insurance goal in the 70th minute.
"Jamie and Sofie are game-changing players," Gibb said. "All they need is a chance. They know what to do. You give them a half a chance, they're going to put it away."
Blazers goalkeeper Lena Myerson was also a major factor.
Led by seniors Catherine Madden, Chaucia Sydnor and Emma Krieger, sophomore Caroline Haggerty and freshmen Zoe Park and Sydney Calas, Walter Johnson made several dangerous runs in the attacking third.
But Myerson was all over the box, tallying eight saves.
"Lena had her best game of the season," Gibb said. "We have not really needed that all season. Her timing, her decision making; she could not have played a better game."
Despite the loss, the Wildcats have showed improvement since September, and return several talented players next year.
"I think [Tuesday] came down to that do or die intensity," said first-year Walter Johnson coach Liz Friedman. "I have been waiting to see that all season and it came out as we tried to dig ourselves out of the hole we created for ourselves. If we played in the first half the way we played in the second, it would've been a completely different game."
Vikings boys get payback at Blair
As the No. 12 Whitman boys soccer team took the field at No. 4 Blair for Tuesday's Class 4A West Region quarterfinal, one memory resonated in the Vikings' minds: Last year's 3-0 postseason loss to the Blazers that sent them packing.
Whitman's offense exploded in a 3-1 win over a Blair team that hadn't allowed a goal in its last eight games, setting up a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Sherwood.
"It's nice to still be in the tournament," Whitman senior midfielder Dominick Yin said. "We got a little bit of revenge."
Both Blair and Whitman entered Tuesday's contest on fire. But Whitman (8-5-2), which struggled to finish goal-scoring opportunities early this fall, found its stride early and controlled play throughout. The Vikings used the width of Blair's large turf field effectively and, led by back Aaron May, condensed the field on defense.
"We connected really well," Yin said. "Blair has a really big field, a lot bigger than we're used to playing on. And I think that was the biggest thing for us. We connected really well, especially in the midfield."
With a quick flick of his head, Elliot Marcus gave Whitman a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, running onto Diego Romero's free kick from 25 yards out.
Moments after the second half began, Johnny Mehrez pursued a positive deflection and crossed a shot just inside the left post. Marcus struck again with another header in the 49th minute.
Blair (8-4-2) senior midfielder Aaron Baldwin scored the Blazers' only goal on a penalty kick in the 68th minute.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Marcus said. "I think it was all about our work rate."
