Sterling, VA (May 2, 2019) - The season is winding down and for some teams their playoff hopes are high. For others, the season has been long and tough and their post-season goals are more modest. When the Loudoun Valley Vikings visited the Park View Patriots, both teams were in that latter category.

In the sixth spot in the standings, the Vikings had only won once. Just behind them, the Patriots had yet to win a Dulles District match. Both teams were playing for pride more than anything else, but a win could propel them to do well in the post-season.

Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.

But you wouldn't have guessed that these two teams were nearing the end of disappointing seasons. From the outset, the play was aggressive, physical and stylish with both teams getting decent chances in the early going. In the first half, Loudoun Valley had more opportunities, but Park View had better ones. And halfway through the first half they cashed in on a brilliant left-footed strike by Genesis Castro.

That goal seemed to motivate both teams and overall play picked up dramatically. And the Vikings' Corinne Neaveill tallied  a few minutes later to knot the score at halftime, 1-1.

Defensively, both teams were excellent. Park View keeper Ana Romero-Rodgriquez was superb in goal and faced many more shots than her Viking counterpart. Her night included a brilliant stop on a Valley penalty kick.

As the second half ensued, the Viking momentum began to build. The Patriot defense was able to hold off the green and gold attack, but only temporarily. In the 47th minute Savannah Harper put the visitors in front for the first time, 2-1, but Park View fought back and tied it again at 2-2.

In the 63rd minute, the floodgates finally broke open. Harper and Neaveill each scored again while Rebeacca Vernail and Isabelle Moser added goals of their own putting the game out of reach.

Final Score: Loudoun Valley 6 - Park View 2