Ashburn, VA (October 25, 2022) - For most of the teams in the 2022 Potomac District, coming in third place is a major accomplishment. The top two teams, Independence and Riverside, are so strong that being the "next best" means a lot. After falling short in the tournament semifinals, that honor is exactly why the Potomac Falls Panthers and the Briar Woods Falcons were playing on this night. That, and the added bonus of a spot in the Region 5D tournament.
Chas Sumser Photography was there to capture the action and emotion and posted a gallery of images from the game.
The first ten minutes of the game were balanced, and neither team threatened to score. While the Panthers lost to the Falcons twice in the regular season, they had added incentive tonight, hoping to extend their season. But Briar Woods team leader Jaelen Perez dimmed those hopes with a goal in the 11th minute, and she and Emily Winter tallied in the final minute to give the Falcons a commanding lead at the end of the quarter, 3-0.
Sarah Gabriel breathed new life into the Potomac Falls side when she scored early in the second period. Again, the Panthers were energized only to have their hopes dashed by two more goals from Winter, extending the Falcon lead to 5-1 at halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Briar Woods as they swooped in on the Panther net. To their credit, Potomac Falls held the hungry Falcons off for the first half of the period, but they could not prevent Winter from scoring again. When Marin Sparrow scored with 2:00 remaining, the game was all but over. In fact, by rule, the fourth quarter was not necessary to confirm the Briar Woods victory
The Falcons now advance to play North Stafford in the regional quarterfinal round.
Final Score: Briar Woods 7 - Potomac Falls 1
