They had hoped to score more goals, and certainly had multiple opportunities to do so, to avoid a stressful nail-biting finish. That didn’t happen, but in the end, one tally was enough as the Yorktown Patriots nipped the host Oakton Cougars, 1-0, in the championship game of the 6D North Region girls soccer tournament.
The region title was Yorktown’s second in the high-school team’s history, the first in 2019, as the Patriots improved to 18-1-1 this season and are unbeaten, with one tie, in 19 straight matches.
“We had a lot of opportunities to score more goals, but we just couldn’t finish those chances tonight,” Yorktown coach Hannah Davis said. “We had to grind out this game.”
Early in the regular season, Yorktown blanked Oakton, 5-0. Davis said the Cougars changed tactics in the region final by keeping more defenders deep in the defensive zone.
“I think we got a little flustered at times,” Davis said. “They played us much tougher this time.”
The one goal in the 2022 final came with 21:31 left in the second half, when Shay Montgomery converted a one-on-one situation against Oakton goalie Caroline Wilson, after receiving a pass from Nora Green-Orset.
“I was waiting to get the ball from her in space like, and I was able to score,” said Montgomery, who will play college soccer at the University of South Carolina. “Give their goalie credit, she played great and made some big saves. We got a little frantic when we couldn’t score earlier than we did.”
Yorktown’s campaign ended last season with a region-tournament semifinal loss to Oakton.
“Everybody wanted to win the region this year, and we have been composed and focused to do this,” Montgomery said. “It’s fantastic to win this.”
Late in the region final, Yorktown defender Ellie Simmons made two defensive stops or clears to end Oakton scoring threats. Yorktown goalie Margaux Hams had a couple of saves in the win.
Yorktown was 3-0 in the region tourney, outscoring those opponents 7-0. The Patriots blanked Centreville, 4-0, in the first round, then Langley, 2-0, in the semifinals.
Montgomery scored three goals against Centreville and Evelyn Casadaban had one goal and one assist. Against Langley, Simmons and Moira Flynn scored goals and Talia Agrillo had one assist. Hams earned each shutout in goal.
Prior to the region tournament, Yorktown was 2-0 with two shutouts in winning the Liberty District tournament.
Next for Yorktown is the eight-team Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tournament. The Patriots have a first-round match schedule against either South County or Alexandria City. The team has to win three goals to win the state crown.
The Patriots’ only loss this season was to South County in the team’s first match of the season. Yorktown has won two state championships in team history, in 2017 and 2019. The 2020 campaign was canceled because of the COVID pandemic.
NOTES: So far, Yorktown is 5-0 in the playoffs this season with five shutouts, while scoring 11 goals. For the season, the Patriots have 15 shutouts . . . Chosen first-team all-region this season for Yorktown were Montgomery, Flynn, Green-Orset, Casadaban and junior Aminata Davis, also the region’s Player of the Year. There were no second-team selections. All of those players also were first-team all-Liberty District selections, with Davis the Player of the Year and Hannah Davis the Coach of the Year.