The fair fall sky looked deceptively peaceful last week as the seasoned Lee-Davis varsity girls’ field hockey team battled with Patrick Henry. 

  The county rivals fought a nearly even match through the first half but in the second, Lee-Davis over-powered the Patriots, scoring multiple times within few minutes to walk away with a 6-0 victory.

  However, early in the game such a substantial dusting was not evident. Led by team captain Megan Willis, Patrick Henry consistently penetrated within striking distance but the Confederates’ defenders held, and any goal attempts were rebuffed by keeper Sara Clare who picked up nine saves on the day. 

  Similarly, the Confederates made drives into Patriot territory only to have them disintegrate when aggressive defender Anna Wheeler, seized control of the ball and put the Confederates back on the defensive. 

  Yet, with 1:30 left to play in the first, Lee-Davis’ leading scorer, Ashley Reynolds, angled the ball in from a 20-yard Haley Matthews assist to put the Confederates on the board, 1-0.

  “During the first half, we were not playing our game,” said Lee-Davis head coach Courtney Jones.  “The girls weren’t communicating and were bunching up.  At half time, I didn’t do much talking, but let the girls discuss what they were noticing and what needed to be corrected.  With not having practiced for four days due to weather conditions, the girls realized they weren’t communicating enough, and said they needed to use their triangles to set up scoring opportunities.”

  A Confederates’ transformation began in the second half as players communicated with each other, making adjustments.  Into the eighth minute of the half, off a penalty from the corner, Matthews drove in her second assist and Jessica Ravensbergen was there to tap it in. 

  As play continued, the well-conditioned Confederates’ Kara Winters, Linnea Taylor and Matthews worked in tandem to break through Patriot defenders and set up plays.  In the meantime, Reynolds twins Ashley and Kelsey ramped up into attack mode. 

  At 17:47 into the second half, Taylor and Ashley Reynolds combined forces to drive in goal number three from 16 yards out, putting the Confederates up 3-0.

  “We were in the heat of it [today],” said Patrick Henry head coach Patti Ann Beach.  “But then, girls began to condemn and defeat themselves when they missed scoring opportunities.  They were really looking for a win; and so they put this burden on themselves and began to get tense when the other team scored, and let themselves down.”

  Lee-Davis continued to systematically break down the Patrick Henry defense, working consistently deeper and deeper into Patriot turf to set up scoring opportunities. 

  Less than a minute and a half later Kelsey Reynolds scored from close range on another Ravensbergen assist.

  The pressure did not let up for the exasperated Patriots.  With less than nine minutes remaining, Ashley Reynolds drove in her third of the day from more than 12 yards out.

  The slaughter finally ceased in the closing minutes of the game when Kelsey Reynolds tapped in her second goal from a Ravensbergen assist. 

  “So far our record is 0-5-1; we can do better,” said Beach.  “Their transitions need more work.  We’ve been working corner plays in practice, but it didn’t come together today.” 
 
Patrick Henry——————- 0 0 – 0
Lee-Davis————————-  1 5 – 6
L-D: Reynolds 5, Ravensbergen
Saves: Williamson (PH) 9, Claire (LD) 9
Records: PH 1-4-1; LD 5-1