Chantilly, Va. — Riverside High School is the clear leader of Loudoun County field hockey, but the Rams were tested on September 13–14 at the Westfield Bulldog Invitational.
“We needed this competition,” Riverside head coach Amy Oldknow said. “We needed to see where we are against some of the stronger teams in the state.”
[adrotate banner=”10″]On September 13, in their first game, the Rams won a thrilling sudden victory 1-0 overtime game over Westfield, the 2017 VHSL 6A State champion. Riverside had numerous scoring chances, but could not convert in regulation.
“Riverside is a talented team that knows how to get the ball to their playmakers,” Westfield head coach Danielle Bartholdt said.
In overtime, Riverside did just that: junior Kellen Richbourg got a breakaway in the 7 versus 7 overtime period and passed to fellow junior Gurnoor Dhaliwal, who put the ball past the Westfield goalie. Earlier in the day on Friday, Richbourg and Dhaliwal – longtime friends and Rapids teammates – both verbally committed to play at the College of William & Mary.
In their second game on September 13, Riverside won handily, 7-2, over Colonial Forge, with three goals by Riverside senior Amelie Fieser and individual goals by sophomore Lydia Oldknow and juniors Eva Yacura, Dhaliwal, and Richbourg.
In their first game on September 14, Riverside throttled Lafayette High School, 11-1. Dhaliwal scored five goals, Oldknow scored three, and Richbourg, Fieser, and Yacura added one each. In the afternoon contest, Riverside was tested again, this time by 2017 VHSL 5A State champion Mountain View.
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Mountain View failed to score through the first 30 minutes. In the second half, Riverside dominated possession and had significantly more scoring opportunities than Mountain View, but each team scored one goal. Tied at 1-1 after regulation, neither team scored in the 15-minute overtime period, setting up a shootout.
We needed this competition. We needed to see where we are against some of the stronger teams in the state.
–Riverside head coach Amy Oldknow
The Wildcats shot first with Mountain View sophomore Meghan Hyatt valiantly attempting the first shootout, despite sitting out the entire game with a severe strain of her right hamstring. Hyatt’s shot went wide right of the goal. Riverside’s first shootout participant was Yacura, who dribbled into the circle and was fouled hard by Mountain View’s goalie and a penalty stroke awarded. On the ensuing penalty stroke, Yacura fired a lifted ball right inside the left post that was stick saved by the Mountain View goalie.
Mountain View’s second attempt was taken by Wildcat junior Kendall Cook, who also missed the goal wide right. Riverside’s second penalty shootout participant was Dhaliwal, who deftly dribbled around the Wildcat goalie and put the ball in the back of the goal.
Mountain View junior McKenzie Profitt missed the Wildcats’ third attempt wide right, while Fieser dribbled past the goalie and nailed the backboard.
Mountain View senior Madison Hyatt scored on the Wildcats’ fourth attempt, as did Richbourg on the Rams’ fourth attempt to seal the shootout win, 3-1.
“We do this tournament every year to see where we are and to get decent early-season competition,” Mountain View head coach Kim Sullivan said. “We look forward to seeing Riverside again in the state playoffs.”
