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LHS field hockey advances to regions by stunning FHS, 1-0
Shot after shot after shot after shot came screaming at Liberty High goalkeeper Cassie Stroud.
On the sideline, interim coaches Rick Vestal and Matt Warren wondered if the seemingly endless barrage of Fauquier rockets would ever end. It felt like Omaha Beach during D-Day.
But the whistle eventually blew and the celebratory screaming and hugging commenced as the Eagles finalized a major shocker by downing the Falcons 1-0 in the Cedar Run District semifinals.
“You would have thought the girls just won states,” said Vestal of last Tuesday's upset. “They have improved and progressed so much. For them to go in as the No. 4 seed and beat No. 1 is just remarkable.”
The Eagles (9-8) went to play Osbourn Park for the district title last Friday, falling 2-1 in overtime, but that setback hasn't marred an amazing run that saw the team advance to regionals. The Eagles faced Mountain View Tuesday in a game that ended too late for Times-Democrat deadlines.
Led by such seniors as Sarah Doucet (who scored the winning goal vs. FHS and also scored against OP), Kensey Norman, Sami Ryan, and Kayleigh Warren, the Eagles experienced a breakout season at a time of hardship and sadness.
Late in the season, coach Mary Beth Colvin left the team on a medical leave. Volunteering to help were Vestal and Warren, two fire-fighting dads with stick-wielding daughters on the squad.
Vestal is a firefighter for Fairfax City Fire Department, while Warren works for Stafford County. Both admit they are more caretakers than coaches, and know the game from a parental perspective by watching their daughters' matches and hitting the ball with them.
Asked by the girls to help in early October — a decision that was approved by school officials — the dads initially took a lot of suggestions from the team, and needed help on many field hockey rules. “I told them, 'If I do anything stupid, say, 'Hey, Coach Gump, you might not want to do that,'” said Vestal...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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