Oakton Girls Soccer to Rely on Experienced Seniors

After then falling in the second round of the Northern Region tournament, the Oakton High girls soccer team will rely on its senior athletes to carry them deeper into the postseason. 

With a senior class bursting with fourth-year varsity players, the Cougars are hungry to earn the school's first Northern Region girls soccer title.

"We have a strong senior class, so we definitely have big goals for the season," said Adelle Clinton, a senior and captain. "I think because most of us have been playing with each other for so long, it definitely helps on the field because we can connect with each other a lot more. We just have a really good connection and that always helps in soccer."

The team's camaraderie has helped keep most aspects of the season feel stable in their transition to a new coach, Dylan Forshay.

"It was a little weird having a new coach at first, but I think we meshed a lot better than we thought. It's different enough that we have to adjust, but not in a bad way. It's obviously working so far, so hopefully that'll keep going," Clinton said. 

The Cougars are 2-0-1 to start the season, defeating Madison 1-0 on Wednesday. Senior Lexi Krall scored the Cougars' only goal on an assist from senior had six saves.

"They make my job easy," he said, pointing to the adjustments the girls made to take control of the ball in the second half of their game Wednesday. "They came off the field and the girls pretty much knew what was going wrong."

Forshay succeeds Kasey Davenport, who served on Oakton's coaching staff for three years and

Forshay is in his first year as a varsity high school coach, but played a season at Longwood University after a high school career at Falls Church High where he earned a spot on the All-District and All-Region first teams his senior year. He has coached 16- to 18-year-old boys at the Annandale Boys and Girls Club.

With a roster that boasts 14 seniors, Forshay is excited to see the talent at work this season.

"I knew coming in there was a lot of talent and a good chance of winning," Forshay said. "We're strong from the back all the way to the front, really. There aren't a lot of weaknesses. We're just trying to get to that point where we're totally cohesive, where we're really playing all on the same page on an everyday basis."