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Loudoun Valley makes quick work of Stonewall Jackson
The Loudoun Valley Vikings girls’ lacrosse team has made their presence felt in the Cedar Run District since joining the district this school year.
The Vikings swept all seven of their Cedar Run opponents during the regular season to capture the district’s regular season title and an automatic berth in the Group AAA Northwest Region playoffs.
Loudoun Valley continued the trend May 8 in the opening round of the Cedar Run District tournament. The Vikings scored 13 unanswered goals to start the game and carried that momentum throughout against Stonewall Jackson en route to an 18-1 convincing victory in front of their home fans in Purcellville.
“We wanted to not play cocky, but play confident,” senior midfielder Jessie Harkey said of the Vikings’ approach to Thursday’s game. “We got a lot of practice by running all of our plays. I think we played really well, moving the ball and making sure everything was assisted.”
Senior Kelsey Daddio and sophomore Sophie Swan each netted hat tricks as 10 different players scored for Valley (12-3). Swan also dished out three assists.
“We have a very young team so in games like this we like to gain experience and depth,” Viking assistant coach Heather Albro said.
Head coach Jay Harkey was being inducted into the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame Thursday night and missed the game. Harkey played on Columbia High School’s state championship lacrosse team in 1979. Columbia is located in Maplewood, N.J.
Morgan Becker, Courtney Ogelvee, Cori Mullaney and Liz Klemens each found the back of the net twice against Stonewall Jackson.
Michelle Zakrewski, Kaitlin Luck, Mikayla Redding and Shannon Harkey scored one goal apiece, and goalies Trish Hicks and Kelsey Luck were rarely tested in limiting the Raiders to one goal.
“We are a young team so there are a lot of basic things we need to work on. A lot of girls need to step up and play to the higher level and we’ve done a great job,” Albro said.
Thursday’s victory was the first of what the Vikings hope is many wins this postseason. Loudoun Valley is looking to return to the state playoffs this spring after a one-year hiatus. The Vikings advanced to the combined Group AAA/AA state semifinals in 2006.
“One of our slogans this year is ‘believe’. It’s really about us coming together,” Jessie Harkey said. “I think we have the talent, we just need to believe that we have it. [Coach Harkey] always says you have to be tactical, physical, technical and psychological and I think we have all four of those, we just need to put them all together.”
NOTABLE: Jessie Harkey has committed to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County next spring. Her older brother, J.D. Harkey is a sophomore midfielder at UMBC and will play in the NCAA Division I lacrosse tournament for a second straight season. The Retrievers play Virginia in the first round May 11 in Charlottesville at 5 p.m.
Heather Albro’s younger sister, Renee, is a sophomore attacker for Limestone College in South Carolina. Limestone qualified for the NCAA Division II semifinals and will play West Chester May 15 in Texas. Renee Albro graduated from Valley in 2006.
Current seniors Liz Klemens and Kelsey Daddio have committed to play lacrosse at Christopher Newport University in North Carolina. Former Vikings Meghan Harkey and Katie Quigley recently completed their freshmen seasons at Christopher Newport.
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