Three girls field hockey teams in the GazetteLeader’s coverage areas have enjoyed the ultimate success in recent seasons by winning Virginia High School League Class 6 state championships.
The Yorktown Patriots, Madison Warhawks and Langley Saxons have won those titles since 2019, with Yorktown second a year ago. Meanwhile, other local public-school teams, like the Washington-Liberty Generals, Marshall Statesmen and Oakton Cougars, have been consistent district, region and state contenders.
In other words, the GazetteLeader’s coverage area has become a hotbed for highly-accomplished girls field hockey teams.
Will that trend continue again this fall as the 2023 is getting started for area teams? It’s possible because all of those squads have some top players and the potential to be good again.
In the case of head coach Olivia Shipley’s Yorktown team, the Patriots began its season with a 3-2 victory over the defending state-champion Fairfax Lions then a 1-0 win over Madison. Yorktown also has an early-season match scheduled against Madison, the undefeated 2021 state champion.
There is a multi-team tournament at Fairfax High on Sept. 9 that could showcase the talent of those teams and others.
Yorktown has a number of key returners back from last season’s team that won Liberty District and 6D North Region tournament championships prior to finishing 2-1 in the state competition.
Madison was the runner-up in the 2022 Concorde District tournament, as was Washington-Liberty in the Liberty event. Madison and Oakton lost in last season’s region-tourney semifinals.
All of those teams have top returning players, with Washington-Liberty led by Beth Prange, one of the longest tenured coaches in the 6D North Region. She has coached the team for 17 years. Her Generals opened the season with a 3-2 non-district victory over an always strong Alexandria City High team, blanked Edison, 3-0, in its second game, also a non-district clash, then nipped Lake Braddock, 1-0, to enjoy a 3-0 start.
Marshall is led by longtime coach Christina Carroll, who has won more than 200 career matches as the Statesmen’s coach. She begins her 25th season as the head coach and her 29th coaching in the program.
• Local private-school teams in the GazetteLeader’s area also play girls field hockey during the fall. Those squads are the Bishop O’Connell Knight, Flint Hill Huskies, Madeira Snails and Potomac School Panthers.
O’Connell looks to continue its improved play of the past couple of seasons under head coach Megan Sullivan.
Flint Hill and O’Connell meet on Sept. 1, then the Knights face Potomac School on Sept. 8 and host Madeira on Oct. 16.
Potomac School has a new head coach this season in Barb Mays. Its match against O’Connell will be the Panthers’ season opener.
