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SPORTS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | October 31, 2018
BIG AIR
McCusker’s aerial pass helps Falcons move closer to field hockey state tournament By Fred Hodge
Special to the Times
If you can’t go through a defense, then go over it. Fauquier sophomore Abby McCusker delivered a risky surprise airborne pass to help the Falcons deliver a game-ending blow in a 1-0 overtime win over Loudoun County in the regional field hockey quarterfinals on Oct. 24. Lucy Arnold converted the winning goal with 8 minutes, 17 seconds left in the 15-minute OT session to send the No. 4-seeded Falcons (10-5) on to face No. 1 Riverside (16-1) for a berth in the Class 4 state tournament. McCusker said passes in the air are dangerous, but noted, “I’m good at judging how far they’ll go, so I just sent it to Lucy. Lucy was wide open in the middle of the circle.” Before the goal, the Raiders established a defensive line with their sticks poised to stop a low pass in a free hit situation. But McCusker jumped the defense. “They had a ring, and they thought I was going to drive so all their sticks were down,” McCusker said. Arnold said she was a little above the stroke line. “I knocked it down and cranked a shot into the bottom right corner,” the euphoric junior said. “It was such a good feeling to be able to help the team out again.” “It was a really smart play. A very mature play that was very well thought out,” said coach Brooke Settle. “She used it at the right time and
PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Fauquier faced No. 1 seed Riverside (16-1) on Tuesday with the winner making the Class 4 state tournament.
REGION 4D PAIRINGS
FIRST ROUND: No. 7 Liberty d. No. 10 Park View 150; No. 9 Loudoun Valley d. No. 8 Dominion 2-1. QUARTERFINALS: No. 4 Fauquier d. No. 5 Loudoun County 1-0 OT; No. 1 Riverside d. No. 9 Loudoun Valley 6-0; No. 2 Heritage d. No. 7 Liberty 6-0; No. 3 Woodgrove d. No. 6 Kettle Run 5-1. TUESDAY’S SEMIFINALS: No. 4 Fauquier at No. 1 Riverside; No. 3 Woodgrove at No. 2 Heritage. NOV. 1 FINAL: at higher seed.
executed it.” Arnold was the hero three days earlier when her overtime goal gave the Falcons a 1-0 win over Culpeper for the Northwestern District tournament crown. Despite the outcome, Settle was not pleased to see the underdog No. 5 Raiders (5-11) operate as the clear aggressors for most of the first half at
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Falcon Field. “I think we overlooked this team a bit. They came out [aggressive], and we didn’t,” Arnold lamented. “We honestly were being lazy and tired.”
Next up Riverside
The Falcons and Riverside (16-1) were scheduled to play Tuesday in the region semis with the winner making states. In 2017, the No. 5-seeded Rams beat the No. 4 Falcons 4-3 in the region quarterfinals. This season’s challenge is more imposing because the Rams are ranked as the No. 3 team in the most recent Washington Post Top 10. No. 7 Liberty and No. 6 Kettle Run both had their seasons end in the quarterfinal round. The Eagles fell, 6-0, at Heritage after crushing No. 10 Park View, 15-0, in the opening round. Kettle Run was a 5-1 victim of Woodgrove.
