Return to story

FIELD HOCKEY Jackets, Hornets reach semis

November 12, 2008 12:36 am

BY JUSTIN RICE

VIRGINIA BEACH--

Leonard faked right, went left, but Fisher dove for the Clipper's stick and swatted the ball away. It was the first of a series of second-half punches James Monroe turned away to secure a Group AA/A field hockey state tournament semifinal berth.

The Yellow Jackets scored two first-half goals and dodged Grafton's second-half rally for a 2-1 win in yesterday's quarterfinals at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center. James Monroe will face Western Albemarle at 3 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.

Orange was a 2-0 winner against Northampton in yesterday's other quarterfinal. The Hornets play Region I champion Tabb at 1 p.m. in Friday's other semifinal.

James Monroe led Grafton 2-0 at halftime, but the Jackets were saying all the right things.

"It's a 0-0 game," James Monroe senior Phoebe Willis reminder her teammates. The Jackets didn't want to get comfortable. The Clippers wouldn't let them.

Passes and long hits that had slipped by the Clippers in the first half were suddenly turned back on James Monroe, and the Jackets were in a fight.

Grafton didn't have a corner or a shot on goal in the first half, but the Clippers out-cornered JM 7-0 and outshot the Jackets 10-2 after the break.

It started with Leonard's breakaway that Fisher cleared.

"I knew my defender would cover backside of the post, but no one was out there to cover the ball," Fisher said. "That's when you go out after it and you hope you can get it."

Fisher was tested on five corners over a five-minute stretch. The best chance resulted in a penalty stroke for Grafton with 11:15 remaining, which Sarah Wister converted to draw the Clippers to within one.

"That was a nice stroke," Fisher said. "I didn't have a chance. No chance at all. The way she flicked the ball, it sort of was to the left, and then back to the right."

Finally, with seven minutes remaining, Willis made a deft move and split the Grafton defense. Though Willis' attack didn't result in a goal, the Jackets were able to maintain possession on the Clippers' half of the field most of the game's final minutes.

"The defense definitely in the second half worked their butts off," JM coach Jamie Tierney said. "Sarah Fisher made some great saves. But yeah, in that second half we were on defense a little more than we wanted to be."

JM junior Chelsea Morris gave the Jackets a 1-0 lead with 24:29 left in the first half, scoring out of a pack on a loose ball off a corner. The Jackets' lead grew to 2-0 with 13:38 left. Willis took a free hit into the circle and found Taylor Herold. Herold dumped the ball off to Mia Day for another score.

"In the second half, I thought our offense wasn't cutting as much as it was in the first half," James Monroe senior Josie Prud'Homme said. "Grafton definitely came out with much more intensity, they were determined to score.

"They came out strong in the second half. I guess we were a little too confident. But we picked it up at the end."

Orange 2, Northampton 0

A Group A team has never won a state tournament game, and that streak continued on the strength of Orange's defense yesterday.

The Hornets didn't give up a penalty corner, and didn't allow a Northampton shot until late in the second half.

Carrie Jacobs assisted on both Orange goals. She finished off a nice passing sequence with 13:12 left in the first half by touching the ball to Annie Heyl for a 1-0 lead. The lead grew to 2-0 with 9:33 left in the game, with Jacobs feeding the ball to Jessica Klein off a corner.

The Hornets had trouble contending with the slick turf playing surface. It's a big change from the usual uneven grass surfaces Orange plays on.

"I think we did a really good job adjusting to it, having never been on a turf field like that before," Klein said. "Just understanding how fast it goes, we weren't used to it. But we adjusted to it."

The Hornets have had issues finishing inside the circle, Orange coach Trish Grabeel said. The team spent time practicing in the school gymnasium, adjusting to a fast, smooth surface.

"We've had that issue all year long," Grabeel said. "We're trying to thread a needle instead of getting it where it needs to be. But we capitalized twice today, so that was good."

Justin Rice: 540/368-5045
Email: jrice@freelancestar.com