Ashburn Va. — After falling to Stone Bridge, 1-0, on October 9, the Potomac Falls High School field hockey team was looking for revenge when the teams met in the second round of the Potomac District playoffs. An evenly matched game ended in favor of the Panthers, 3-2, as Potomac Falls reigned victorious and advanced to the Potomac District championship game.

“We just kept playing as a team,” Potomac Falls junior goalkeeper Anna Shapiro said. “We played as one unit on the field throughout to win.”

Both high-powered offenses were aggressive early in the semifinal as the Bulldogs struck first when Stone Bridge junior Taryn Recco scored midway through the first half.

The Panthers, however, did not lose steam. Potomac Falls senior midfielder Abby Asuncion – arguably Loudoun County’s best offensive player – has scored more than 30 goals in 2018 and has shown no sign of slowing down. So it came as no surprise when Asuncion tied the game with a power shot to the top left corner with about nine minutes left in the first half.

“We just played how we play,” Potomac Falls junior Abby Detorie said.

The 1-1 tie at the end of the half did not reflect the game’s tempo. The first half was fast and dominated by Stone Bridge, for the most part. However, Potomac Falls forced multiple corners and had excellent goalie play by Shapiro.

With the start of the second half both teams were eager to score and came out with tempos just as fast as the first half had ended. Both teams were catching passes and creating opportunities, with Stone Bridge still edging out Potomac Falls.

Then with ten minutes left in the second half, Potomac Falls flipped the script, forcing their way up the field after a missed pass by Stone Bridge. The Panthers created some chaos in front of the Bulldogs’ goal as Potomac Falls sophomore midfielder Hope Palmer gave the Panthers the lead.

With the sudden change in score, Stone Bridge stormed up the field to create opportunities to stay in the game. Led by junior midfielder Ashlyn Hughes and senior defender Emma Logue, the Bulldogs forced a corner with six minutes left in the game, but Shapiro made another big save for the Panthers.

Potomac Falls used the momentum from the save to force Stone Bridge back into their own end. The Panthers forced a corner on the ensuing possession, and Potomac Falls junior forward Maggie Flanagan tipped the ball in, extending the Panthers’ lead to 3-1.

With two minutes left, Hughes gave Stone Bridge a new breath, but it was too little, too late as Potomac Falls got the revenge they were after.

The win pushes Potomac Falls into the Potomac District championship where the Panthers will host Broad Run on October 25 in Sterling. Stone Bridge has earned a berth to the VHSL Region 5C tournament.

Scoring

1H 13:58 SB Taryn Recco
1H 8:55 PF Abby Asuncion
2H 10:03 PF Hope Palmer
2H 4:01 PF Maggie Flanagan
2H 1:50 SB Ashlyn Hughes