Foxcroft defeats FA to Advance to State Championship Game!
Fighting through a steady rain and bone-chilling cold, third-seeded Varsity Field Hockey stopped second-seeded Fredericksburg Academy, 3-1, Friday afternoon in a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II semifinal at Evergreen SportPlex in Leesburg.
The victory propelled Foxcroft into the DII Field Hockey Championship game for the fourth time in seven years. Foxcroft (11-4) will play No. 1 seed and defending champion Cape Henry Collegiate (14-3), a 1-0 winner over No. 4 Covenant School in the other semifinal. The game is scheduled for 1pm Saturday at the Sportsplex. Foxcroft, which has never won a field hockey state championship, lost to FA in the title game in 2012, 2013 and 2015. (Foxcroft played in VISAA Division 1 in 2016 and 2017.)
“This was our best game of the season and it meant a lot to us because it was Fredericksburg Academy that we beat,” said Coach Michelle Woodruff. “We love the rain. One hundred percent we love the rain. We beat them in the rain, 4-0, earlier this season.”
Seniors Amara B. and Willa C. and junior Allie M. scored for Foxcroft, which had lost two of three games to FA this season. Both losses came in overtime, including a heart-breaking defeat in a shootout for the Delaney Athletic Conference Championship on Nov. 1. Woodruff, though, added a few different strategies for this game.
“We had some new corners and we were cutting off some players and it worked,” she said.
Foxcroft gained control of the game early in the first half, shortly after an FA player shot wide left on a penalty stroke. The miss seemed to lift Foxcroft’s spirit and, paced by the intense play of DAC Player of the Year Haley B., Foxcroft dominated the play and built a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by Amara and Allie. But Woodruff made sure the players didn't let up.
“I told them at halftime to think of the score as zero-zero," she said. "I told them, '’You've got to pump up your intensity because they are going to come out and try to win,' ” Woodruff said. “Our girls were positive and remained pumped up.”
At 17:50 of the second half, Willa, who had replaced injured senior Seabrook B. in the lineup, scored from in front of the net to give Foxcroft a commanding 3-0 lead. FA finally scored on a corner with 8:40 remaining, but Foxcroft’s defense held tough the rest of the way.
It was the 30th game between Foxcroft and Fredericksburg Academy since Foxcroft joined the DAC in 2008. FA holds a 21-8-1 edge, but Foxcroft has posted a 7-2-1 record over FA in the past three seasons.
On Saturday, Foxcroft will be facing a Cape Henry Collegiate team that has been the No. 1 ranked team in Division II all fall and won the DII title a year ago.
“They are going to be tough,” Woodruff said. “They have a lot of club players … a lot. We have to play smart, we have to stay focused. We have to play intensely. And you can’t walk. You can’t let the ball get by you. If it does, you have to run after it and get it back.”
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.
