Girls' Soccer: South County 1, Lake Braddock 0

By Angela Watts
Managing Content Editor, DigitalSports.com

** Look below the story to find a video player filled with dozens of highlights from Friday's game. **

The Lake Braddock girls' soccer team that took the field Friday at South County isn't the same as the one that captured its fifth Virginia AAA state championship last season. The 2008 Bruins boast only three seniors on their roster.

But it is still Lake Braddock.

And South County, despite being only three years old, has become one of its biggest rivals. The Bruins got the best of the Stallions twice last season. This year's meeting, though, was notably different.

South County controlled the ball nearly the entire game, registering a 1-0 victory that could -- had it not been for the efforts of Lake Braddock junior goal keeper Caitlin Landsman -- have been much more pronounced.

With the win, the Stallions (9-0-2, 5-0-1 Patriot) move into sole possession of first place in the Patriot District with only one regular-season game remaining against Hayfield on Tuesday. The Bruins (6-4, 5-1) host Lee, also on Tuesday.

"I'm very proud of them," South County Coach Maureen Salle said. "I knew they were capable of it ... but lately we've just been a little scared in the first half. But I knew in pre-game that it was going to be a good game, just because they were relaxed and they were confident.

"I think with Lake Braddock, it's such a rival -- even in the three years that we've been open -- that they were just a little bit more hesitant with their shots."

Locked in a scoreless tie at the end of the first half, the host Stallions finally got on the board in the 46th minute, when junior midfielder Paige Ritari -- a significant presence all night -- found sophomore midfielder Morgan Duffy open in front of the net.

Duffy said she actually lost sight of the pass as it neared her, but she still managed to jump the ball and hit it squarely enough with the back of her left foot. It sailed past a diving Landsman into the corner of the net.

The goal marked Duffy's fifth of the season, and Ritari's sixth assist.

"I almost lost track of the ball and I didn't even know what I was doing, so when it went in it was like, 'Wow,'" Duffy said. "But I had talked to Paige in the beginning and then again and half time and I told her that I'd be there for the service. I love playing with her."

Email: awatts@digitalsports.com

Lake Braddock     0  0 -- 0
South County      0  1 -- 1

Goals: South County (Morgan Duffy).