Albemarle trumps Battlefield

After a two-week layoff, Albemarle’s girls’ lacrosse team used a quick start and leadership from its seniors to roll past visiting Battlefield in the Northwest Region quarterfinals, 19-4.
The Patriots (13-2) defeated Monticello back on May 7 to conclude the regular season, and since they do not belong to a district, had to wait a while to face someone other than themselves on the practice field.
Albemarle sophomore Rachel Hochstetler got things started early, scoring on an unassisted goal twenty seconds into the contest. Senior midfielder Margaret Moss followed that up with the first of her game-high five goals, and before the Bobcats could blink, they trailed 4-0 five minutes into the game.
Battlefield refused to go quietly, scoring two straight goals, and looked poised to give the Patriots a run. Albemarle head coach David Sloan saw the fire in his team’s collective eyes and knew they would respond.
“Our kids woke up at that point in time,” said Sloan. “I told them during the timeout that I wanted it 12-2 at the half to shut the door.”
As if Sloan had a crystal ball on the sideline, the Patriots rattled off eight straight goals, including one with a second left on the clock, and took a 12-2 lead at the break.
Moss scored three times in the final 1:50 of the half, and her teammates picked up right where they left off to begin the second. Hochstetler again wasted no time, scoring 15 seconds in off a Moss assist, and Albemarle went on to outscore the Bobcats 6-2 for the remainder of the game.
“Margaret Moss is as good as any player, if not the best player in central Virginia,” Sloan said. “She has been a leader for us from the first day she played here. She’s a dedicated kid to the sport, she practices in her backyard, and she has great shot selection, control and maturity.”
Senior captain Katie Tubridy scored four goals, weaving her way through Bobcat defenders on each, and has been invited to walk on at Virginia Tech next season. Sloan spoke highly of Tubridy’s work ethic and improvement from last season to now, and ‘guarantees’ that she will be an integral member of the Hokies’ team.
“Her confidence level is the difference between last year and this year, she now takes it right to the goal. She’s so tall and deceptively fast, and she’s a joy. She’s the nicest kid you’ll ever meet, a national merit scholar, and we’re just happy to have her.”
Moss and Tubridy, along with fellow seniors Mallory Cain, Kaylyn Hopkins and goalkeeper Erin Jablonski hope to make their mark in Albemarle lacrosse history by fulfilling the team’s yearlong goal of winning a state title.
The next step in attaining such a trophy is winning today at Forest Park, a team that Battlefield beat earlier this season. If the Patriots are victorious, they will qualify for the state tournament.
“That train is on track right now,” Sloan said. “I told [the team] that until you get to that region championship, it’s one and done. Then once you get to states, it’s one and done again, so we’re trying to keep them focused on that.”