Valley LAX Sweeps Region Semifinals

By Paul Tenorio

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Holding a one-goal margin after an unusual few minutes in which a goal was taken away from Brooke Point for an illegal stick and then re-awarded, Loudoun Valley needed a spark to take back the momentum.

It came from senior Sean Dacey.

Dacey, the Virginia AAA Cedar Run District player of the year, laid out a Brooke Point defender Friday to win back possession for the Vikings deep in Blackhawk territory, then scored eight seconds later to extend the Vikings' lead to two.

Loudoun Valley (17-2) scored again to push the lead to three and eventually held on for an 8-6 win to advance to the Northwest Region final and book the program's first trip to the state tournament.

"When I saw [the defender] with it, I was like, 'He's mine. They're not getting that ball back in that zone,' " Dacey said. "And I did everything I could to get that ball back. . . . I shot low and away, and it went in, and then I just got chills after that. I knew. Cause we're a second-half team, and I knew in the second half once we got up, we weren't letting down."

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Loudoun Valley Lacrosse Reach Region Finals

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Loudoun Valley's Shannon Harkey brings the ball to the net past Albemarle's Rebecca Maine. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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With 2:58 left in the game, Loudoun Valley's Sophie Swan scores past Albemarle's Abby Hendrix to make the score 9-3. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun Valley's Shannon Harkey scores the Vikings' first goal. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun Valley celebrates its 9-5 victory over Albemarle. The win moves the Vikings to the Northwest Region final. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun Valley's Collin Kirby takes a shot that was disqualified becaues he was in the crease. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Brooke Point's Kevin McGlade rolls Loudoun Valley's Brandon Bruce, who still maintains control of ball. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun Valley's Brandon Bunce scores with this shot past Brooke Point's T.J. Shannon to tie the score at 2-2. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Loudoun Valley walks off the field after its 8-6 victory over Brooke Point to advance to the Northwest Region final. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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The Vikings will play for the Northwest Region championship at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Albemarle.

Loudoun Valley trailed for much of the early part of the game and was down 3-2 at the half.

Then, down two in the third quarter, the Vikings got consecutive goals from Tyler Ikwild and Dacey to tie the score at four, taking the lead for good on a goal from Chris Rabung with 11 minutes 32 seconds to play.

That goal was sandwiched in the middle of a bizarre sequence in which a goal was taken away and then given back to Brooke Point (13-6).

But Dacey's play sealed the outcome for the Vikings.

"At halftime, the seniors stepped up," Loudoun Valley Coach Jeff Lewandowski said. "They made everyone accountable, they took it to another level and they willed us to win."

Loudoun Valley Girls Advance

As his team sat around him after a 9-5 victory over Albemarle in a Virginia AAA Northwest Region semifinal, Loudoun Valley girls' lacrosse Coach Jay Harkey paused during his postgame speech.

"C'mon, guys," he said. "You just won a region semifinal."

The sentence drew a boisterous response from the subdued group. But the somber mood reflected the high expectations of the No. 7 Vikings, who continued their undefeated season but were dissatisfied with how they had done so.

The win was the first time this season that Loudoun Valley (17-0) was held to single digits in a game. The Vikings' season low had been an 11-goal output in the opener March 12, a four-goal win over Broad Run that tied Friday's margin for Loudoun Valley's closest game this year.

"Unfortunately, I think the girls kind of look at it like a loss," Harkey said. "And to some degree that's good, because it kind of woke them up a little bit. Everybody coming down the stretch is going to be real, real tough. And really they walked out of the game like, 'Hmph,' just down. But all in all it was a win. They realized it after we celebrated a little."

Despite the low offensive output, there was little doubt which team was in control throughout the game. Loudoun Valley immediately opened up a 3-0 lead and led 4-1 at the half. And although Albemarle (10-5) pulled to 6-3 in the second half, it never got closer.

Junior Shannon Harkey, who registered four goals and three assists, was the catalyst in nearly every Loudoun Valley attack in the game.

"In big games, when you're against better competition, you play up to that level," Harkey said. "So I feel I go more to the goal in these games because I need to."

Loudoun Valley advances to the Northwest Region final Wednesday against Battlefield, a team they've downed twice this year. The Vikings will host the 6 p.m. game.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks