Suffolk News-Herald

The third time was not a charm for the Lakeland field hockey team on Tuesday afternoon, as the Lady Cavaliers fell 3-1 to Princess Anne (PA) in the opening round of Eastern Region competition at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. The Virginia Beach Lady Cavaliers also knocked their Suffolk namesakes out of the tournament the past two seasons. Nansemond River also lost its opening game, falling 2-1 to Tallwood.

Though PA outshot the Lady Cavaliers 11-1 in the first half, goalkeeper Kelsey Cutchins was able to fight them off nearly every time. But with no time left in the half, PA took a corner shot (according to Virginia High School League rules, a half cannot end on a corner shot until the defense knocks the ball out of the circle). Becca Wagner knocked the ball past Cutchins for the 1-0 halftime advantage.

PA didn’t let up in the second half, outshooting the Lady Cavaliers 15-6. Heather Winn scored with 18 minutes left, and Ashley Hay at the 12:50 mark. Nicole Debien, one of four Lakeland competitors playing their final game, scored the Suffolk team’s only goal with 11:06 to play, on an assist from 2003-4 Southeastern District Player of the Year Katelyn Smither. Robyn Mazzone, Alice Carnegie and Jennifer Brinkley also said goodbye.

Though their game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, the Lady Warriors actually got ahead in their loss to the Lady Lions. Goalkeeper Amber Shaffer fought off 10 Tallwood shots and seven corners in the first half, and Ashley Darden dribbled down the right side of the field, and knocked a pass into the center, where a mass of players were waiting. After the ball was tipped several times, Katelyn Yandle darted out of the pack and poked it into the right corner of the net. However, Heather Herbert and Jessica Lavin scored for Tallwood in the second half, in which the Lady Lions held a 13-0 shooting advantage. Megan Belch, Ali Mowry, Tiffany Porter, Ashley Darden and Madison Smart played their final game.

The All-Southeastern District team was peppered with names from Suffolk, as Lakeland and Nansemond River (who finished first and second in the district during the regular season) each placed a district high 10 players on the First, Second, and Honorable Mention teams.

Aside from Smither, who led the region with 26 goals and piled up 19 assists, Debien made the First team as a forward, and Jennifer Brinkley and Alice Carnegie were named as midfielders. Ashley McCord and Lindsay Kelly made top honors as defenders, and Cutchins was the district’s top goalkeeper. River’s Ashley Aston was named as another of the district’s top forwards (she and Cutchins are the First team’s only sophomores), and midfielder Mowry and defender Natalie Sims also were voted for the team.

Belch made the Second team as a forward, and Yandle made it as a midfielder. Darden and Heather Horton were voted as defenders, and Lady Cavalier Nicole Klee (one of only two sophomores on the Second team) was voted as a midfielder. Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Owen and Chelsey Salmon represent Lakeland on the Honorable Mention team, as do Lady Warriors Shaffer, Tiffany Porter and Lindley Theroux.