Aldie, VA (May 9, 2022) - With the regular season in its last week, the Lightridge Lightning had a chance to upset one of the Dulles District leaders, as the Tuscarora Huskies made the trip to Aldie. The Huskies had an impressive overall record of 10-2-1, but they were just a game ahead of the Lightning in district play at 4-1-0 to the Bolts' 3-2-0.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
Celebrating their first class of seniors, the home team had some extra excitement to build upon--and they played like it. The first half was dominated by the Huskies, but the Lightning defense was solid, bending and not breaking even when most of the play was on their side of the field. in the 25th minute, Lightridge keeper Skylar Ring made two superb saves to keep her net unspoiled and lead the way to a somewhat surprising 0-0 halftime score.
Tuscarora's defense was just as solid, but did not have to face as many challenges with keeper Eve Kaufman well protected by center back Kendall Stimart and her defensive back line. The Huskies' clear advantage was in the midfield as Mia Serna controlled two thirds of the pitch with her transitional play and quick strikes.
The second half began with the status quo. The field was tilted toward the Lightridge end, but Ring blocked two good shots, and Tuscarora simply misfired a couple good chances. But just five minutes into the second period, the Huskies' Ava Marvin struck a twenty-yard shot from the left side of the box that flew into the upper right corner for a 1-0 Huskies lead.
And that's the way it remained. The tempo and flow of the game was almost a carbon copy of the first half--except for that one goal. Lightridge put a bit more pressure on the Tuscarora defensive end, but it was not enough to get past the stalwart Huskies defense or have a threatening chance to even the score.
Tuscarora earned a solid road victory against an up-and-coming district opponent. While Lightridge proved that they can play with the best the district has to offer.
Final Score: Tuscarora 1 - Lightridge 0
