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Click here to hear Ashley Olsen's speech at the dedication of Eric J. Olsen Memorial Stadium on Thursday night at Freedom High School in South Riding.
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Click here for a photo gallery from the dedication with 250+ photos!


By Dan Sousa
LoudounPrepSports.com Senior Content Editor

South Riding (Mar. 20, 2009) - When Ashley Olsen found out that the Freedom High School community had gained approval to renamed the Eagles athletic stadium in honor of her husband Eric Olsen -- passed away less than two months ago after a long fight with cancer -- the support gave her the courage to speak at the official dedication Thursday night.

"The naming ... means the world to me and our families," Olsen emailed Freedom principal Christine Forester earlier this month. "I'd like to speak on Eric's behalf, to give a concrete image of the person whose name will forever mean something to me."

Indeed, Olsen's poignant speech was the highlight of a moving dedication ceremony that featured local dignitaries such as Loudoun County Public Schools superintended Dr. Edgar Hatrick and Virginia state senator Mark Herriing as well as more than 200 athletes on the field in celebration of the renaming. 

Olsen was a popular history teacher as well as the boys lacrosse and boys and girls cross country coach, so fittingly it was the Eagle boys lacrosse team, as well as the cross country runners. pulling on ropes attached to the stadium's scoreboard that brought down the construction paper covering the stadium's new name: Eric J. Olsen Memorial Stadium.

Ashley Olsen, joined by other family members including her children Claire and William, called the playing field Eric's "favorite place on earth" and she related a story from Eric's high school days as a lacrosse player in Maryland that brought a smile to everybody and even some soft laughter.

Unable to play in a championship game, Olsen had to lend his jersey to a teammate who happen to be his rival -- and Ashley's former boyfriend -- who went on to score the game-winning goal. The PA man made the mistake of crediting Olsen with the game-winner and even the hometown newspaper carried accounts of "Eric's game-winning goal". 

Ashely Olsen said that while that incident was a case of mistaken identity, the dedication Thursday was not a case of mistaken identity and an honor well-deserved. The entire South Riding and Loudoun sports community agrees.

After the ceremony it was back to lacrosse as the boys took the field against Freedom of Woodbridge in a non-district game. Earlier the girls had defeated the Prince William foe, 19-2, and the boys also made quick work of their Eagle counterparts, leading 10-0 at the half and winning 14-2 after a second half that saw plenty of the home team players from the bench get on the field and a running clock after Freedom went up 12-0 early in the third quarter.

Freedom of South Riding struck quickly, scoring 55 seconds into the contest as senior Daniel Kobos found senior tri-captain Gunnar Laasanen sprinting in towards the net on a restart and Laasanen caught it on the run and slam dunked it for a 1-0 lead. With 9:04 left in the first, Kobos did the honors himself, sneaking around the net and wrapping a shot it. Junior tri-captain Victor Ferrell made it 3-0 with a goal from the right side with 2:45 to play in the first quarter.

The Woodbridge squad did not help themselves with penalties including one play with the same player picked up three infractions before play could stop. Sophomore Matt Johnson took advantage of the power play to score with 10:50 left in the second quarter and it was 4-0.

Farrell had the goal of the night with 7:35 to go in the first half, a shot from way outside, through traffic, that found the back of the net, and Johnson scored his second with 5:21 left to make it 6-0.

The hometeam Eagles poured it on in the waning minutes of the first half as they score four times in the final 3:21 with senior Michael Surowiec scoring twice, Laasanen and Johnson adding another goal each.

The names may have changed in the second half but the goals kept coming for Freedom as junior Charles Steigerwald and senior Brian Tran scored to make it 12-0 and kick in the running clock rule.

William Walter made it 13-0 before the Woodbridge team got on the scoreboard with Maurice McNeil scoring.

There were only two goals scored the fourth quarter with Johnson scoring his fourth goal of the night and the visiting Freedom team getting a goal from Trey Brinson.

Fredom (South Riding) 14, Freedom (Woodbridge) 2
Score by Quarters
Freedom (Woodbridge) 0  0  1  1 - 2
Freedom (South Riding) 3  7  3  1 - 14

An education fund has been set up for the two Olsen children. Here are the details:

Address for Claire and William's VA VEST 529 educational funds:
Virginia College Savings Plan
P.O. Box 607 Richmond VA 23218
Please split the donation, make checks payable to VCSP and write these reference numbers on each check.
Claire Olsen -136932
William Olsen- 136938