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Sophomore sensation Julie Robertson and her �??Never Say Die�?� Thomas Dale Knight teammates came back from 2 goals down to James River
on Wednesday afternoon to claim the Central Region Field Hockey
Tournament Championship. Robertson scored all three of Thomas Dale�??s
goals in the 3-2 overtime win.

Held at Prince George High School
under sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, the battle between the
Knights and the Rapids boiled down to persistence and execution. In the
end, the Knights had more of each.

Through
much of the first period, the game looked to be shaping up as a
defensive contest, leaving one to wonder if the first team to score
would win the match. Both teams were successful in carrying the game to
the front of their opponent�??s goal, but both teams played best in
defending their own goals. James River
halfbacks Lauren Whaley, Kelly Hevener, and Caitlin McGowan were
particularly effective in shutting down numerous Thomas Dale efforts.

Thomas
Dale coach Beth Jaeckle emphasized persistence and precision passing
with her Knights during a timeout midway through the period, �??People
are open. Keep up your game.�?� As the period progressed, the Knights
controlled the ball more effectively than the Rapids, but were unable
to score. Then, with less than a minute to play in the period, James River
struck when senior star forward Sara Duke scored with an assist from
junior forward Hannah Schul. The teams went into the break with James River up, 1-0.

James River
carried its offensive momentum into the second period and quickly built
its lead to 2-0, when sophomore forward Jenna Taylor scored with an
assist from senior forward/midfielder Jenny Weir at 28:34.

James River�??s
second score seemed only to increase Thomas Dale�??s determination, while
the Rapids appeared to relax. The Knights began a relentless assault on
Rapids�?? goalkeeper Jill Stansfield (12 saves for the game), and at
25:31 hit pay dirt when Robertson scored from the left side.

Effectively
using their triangle offense, consisting usually of Robertson, Loren
Favale, and Deanna Smith, the Knights kept up the pressure following
their first goal, bringing Stansfield well out of the cage to close
with the attackers, and leading to five Dale corners in quick
succession. James River held off these attacks, regrouped and took the ball down into Dale territory.

Putting
tremendous pressure on Dale goalie Karri Bridges, the Rapids secured
their own series of corners. At 14:30, in what turned out to be a
decisive play, Jenny Weir�??s shot from the front was blocked off senior
defender Patrese Morris into the goal. James River�??s
jubilation was short-lived as the officials called off the goal for
having come from outside the circle, and a corner was called instead.

From
this point forward, Thomas Dale�??s control of the game increased
significantly, although the Rapids continued to play tough defense.
Robertson finally broke through with her second goal and the tying
score at 5:00. The teams went into overtime tied 2-2.

Both teams launched attacks in overtime. James River
had one splendid opportunity thwarted by Dale senior stopper Katie Der.
But Dale controlled most of the offensive action and the James River
defenders showed signs of exhaustion. At 8:56, following a corner,
junior midfielder Carrie Jaeckle passed to Robertson immediately in
front of the goal. Robertson passed back out to Jaeckle who gave the
ball right back to Robertson who fired the �??sudden victory�?� shot to
deliver the championship for the Knights.

Following the game, James River
coach Slade Gormus confirmed that her team was �??beat tired�?� in
overtime. Coach Gormus was disappointed that the Rapids hadn�??t been
able to �??get the ball in the cage�?� despite many opportunities earlier
in regulation. She felt that the Rapids�?? 5-3 win over a very tough
Maggie Walker team the day before had taken its toll on the Rapids�??
energy.

Knights coach Jaeckle said of her team�??s comeback from a 2-0 deficit, �??They react well to pressure. They are very smart.�?�

Coach Jaeckle was particularly complimentary of her players�?? work on 50-50 balls where control could go either way.

As for Julie Robertson�??s effect on the team, Coach Jaeckle said Robertson �??pushes the other girls in practice and games.�?�

Known
as �??The Bully�?� by her coach and teammates, the 5�??0�?�, 90-pound Robertson
said she wasn�??t worried about being down 2-0. �??We knew we had the whole
second half,�?� she said.

When asked what she likes about field hockey, the high-energy Robertson said, �??I love it all. I have a passion for it.�?�

The win took Thomas Dale�??s record on the season to 21-0. James River falls to 17-4. Both teams enter the State Tournament with play beginning November 9 at Oakton High School.

Box Score

Central Region Awards

First Team Offense                                                 

First Team Defense

First Team Goalie

Second Team Offense

Second Team Defense

Second Team Goalie

Honorable Mention

Player of the Year

Coach of the Year