Girls Soccer: Cougars Open District Play with a Win

The Oakton High girls soccer team opened Concorde District competition with a 6-1 victory over Herndon on Tuesday.

Danielle Fitzgerald, , netted a hat trick to lead the Cougars in scoring.

But scoring began before Fitzgerald's hat trick with a headed goal from Katherine Coyer, on an assist from Alex Meyers, about 15 minutes into the game. The Cougars then saw the ball pass the Hornets' goalkeeper twice only to have the officials take away the points with an offsides call. The first half ended with the Cougars up 1-0.

"They liked to use their offsides pretty frequently. We sorta had to learn how to push back and hold back, but we just adjusted for the second half," Fitzgerald said.

The Hornets tied the game about eight minutes into the second half, but Meyers pulled the Cougars ahead six minutes later when she scored on a free kick. 

Then Fitzgerald went on a tear, scoring three straight goals within eight minutes. She scored the first two after gaining possession at about midfield and breaking away from her defenders to clear her path toward the goal. On her way to make her third goal, she was first knocked to the ground as she worked her away around a Hornet defender. She gained possession of the loose ball before the goalkeeper could, then dribbled around the goalie to have an open shot at an unattended goal.

Julie Jerow, on an assist from Maggie Toye, headed the sixth and final goal for the Cougars. 

"I think after a week of being off for spring break, we took the first half to work our way back to how we're used to playing," Fitzgerald said. "The second half we came out strong. We clicked more with each other and we were ready to get back to how we're used to playing with each other."

The Cougars will travel to Wakefield on Thursday for a nondistrict game. They continue Concorde District play next week when they travel to Centreville on Monday.

"Moving forward I think we have a pretty good chance at competing pretty well with the other teams in the district," Fitzgerald said. "I think we'll fare pretty nicely if we keep moving like we just did and work together like we have been."