How about a fourth meeting this season between the Oakton Cougars and Madison Warhawks, then possibly a fifth a bit later?
Match No. 4 between the neighborhood rivals was indeed scheduled this week at Oakton in the championship showdown of the 6D North Region girls high-school soccer tournament.
No matter the outcome, each team already qualified for the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tourney by virtue of winning region-tourney semifinals, where they could meet a fifth time.
In the three previous meetings between Madison and Oakton, the Cougars (15-2) won twice by one-goal margins and the Warhawks won the other 2-0. Madison’s only two losses are to Oakton, including the last in the Concorde District tournament title game.
So far, both teams are 2-0 in the region tournament. Madison (14-2-1) routed Marshall, 7-1, in the first round, then nipped the host and defending region and state champion Yorktown Patriots, 2-1, in the May 25 semifinals.
Kyra Hartogs on a fastbreak goal and Katherine Murray on a rebound shot after a volley in front of the net scored the goals against Yorktown. Miya Weintraub and Kyla Dixon had assists. Xaviera Schrader had the win in goal for Madison.
Madison coach Devon Sanborn said her team’s last loss to Oakton in the district-tourney final has inspired and “slingshotted” the Warhawks to do well in region, and now, state tournaments.
“We have very good full-team efforts now and the players want this,” Sanborn said. “We have tried four or five different starting lineups until we have found what works best.”
Madison continues to play well despite the loss of injured district Player of the Year Emma Hamberlin, who has a leg injury.
Other top players for Madison have been Sia Makrigiorgos, Keira McCloskey, Alex Dalakis, Lillian Perkins, Hunter Rosenberg and Xavi Schrader.
Gabriela Paredes, Eileen Harvey and Samantha Philipp were key parts of Madison’s defense against Yorktown.
In the win over Marshall, Dixon scored two goals and Murray, Hartogs, Dalakis, Perkins and Makrigiorgos all scored one each. Perkins and Adeline Suryabudi each had two assists.
Oakton, which finished second in the region last season, defeated Centreville, 2-1, in the region semis, after blanking Herndon, 2-0, in the first round.
Top players for Oakton have been Avery Bracher, Isabella Yousefi, Samantha James, Alex Bram, Grace Hansen, Emma Gustafson, Bilge Turhan and goalie Kasey Cannistraro.
Oakton will enter the region final with a five-game winning streak. Its last loss was to district rival Centreville, which was avenged with the region-semifinal victory.
• In the boys 6D North Region soccer tournament, the defending champion, as well the 2022 Class 6 state champs, Langley Saxons (9-6-2) have reached the title game with a 2-0 record in the competition.
Langley nipped South Lakes, 4-3, in the first round, then Centreville, 2-1, in the semifinals.
