Girls Soccer: Stone Bridge Season Ends in Storm of Second-Half Goals, Weather Delay

Ashburn (May 30, 2011) - After a magical run in 2010 to the AAA VHSL girls soccer state title, Stone Bridge High School had its season end Friday night in a storm of second-half goals by Chantilly and then a lightning delay that extended long enough to make the Chargers an official 3-1 winner with still 16 minutes yet to play in the AAA Northern Region quarterfinal.

The Bulldogs (13-4-1) led the Chargers (10-4-2), 1-0, at the half after a wind-aided goal by junior Erin Leonard with 90 seconds to go in the first half. Chantilly, playing with the stiff wind at its back in the second half, controlled the pace of play and struck three times, including twice in a 3-minute span, as the skies were turning ominous.

Sure enough, just five minutes after Chantilly had gone up 3-1 in the 59th minute, the players and fans were chased off the fields by lightning. Almost two hours later, while play was resuming at other sites across the region the remnants of the storm could still be seen north of Stone Bridge in the form of lightning flashes and at 9 p.m. the game was called, ending Stone Bridge's season.


Stone Bridge had opportunities in the first half to stake itself to a lead that might have held in a weather delay.

In the 7th minute junior Imani Ervins sent a throw-in skittering across the goal mouth but no Bulldogs could latch onto the ball. Just four minutes later Stone Bridge missed another opportunity to go up as a dangerous free kick by senior Emily Frederickson led to a scramble in the Chargers six that wasn't cleaned up.

In the 16th minute, Stone Bridge sophomore Murielle Tiernan won a footrace on a great through ball and she squeeze off a shot that just missed the far post. Two minutes later, another long Ervins throw was flicked backwards through the six by sophomore Ashley Herndon but again Stone Bridge could not chase the ball into the net.

In the 36th minute a combination from sophomore Emily Person to Tiernan freed the talented sophomore to dribble along the endline and she slotted the ball for Herndon who just missed finishing.

After all the opportunities a fluke goal literally landed at the Bulldogs feet in the waning seconds of the first half as a clearance ricocheted off the center referee and landed right to Leonard, who saw the keeper off her line and took a shot from 30 yards out that bounced well before the keeper but the strong wind pushed the ball just over the keeper's out-stretched fingertips and into the goal.

Stone Bridge was then limited to just one shot in the second half after six in the first half. Chantilly took five shots after the break, three of which found the back of the net.

The Chargers tied the game in the 47th minute when freshman Laila Gray found the far post from the right side on a well-placed effort from 20 yards out. Nine minutes later Chantilly senior Eileen Seechler blasted a shot that was bounced around the 18 and Gray found the ball about 15 yards out and threaded a shot through traffic that tucked into the side of the net at the far post to make it 2-1 Chargers.

A stunned Bulldog defense gave up a third goal just three minutes later as senior Elizabeth Casey headed in a corner kick by junior Olivia Colella.

Then the weather went from bad to ugly and the game was never restarted.

Stone Bridge's starting line-up for the regional game included just two seniors and two juniors with five sophomores and two freshmen in the line-up. The seniors, however, will be missed as they included keeper Julia Harmson and center back Frederickson. Senior captain Mallory Corpe forward Lindsay Andersen are also graduating leaving the Bulldogs with 17 players returning next year from the 21-strong roster.