Field Hockey: Q. Orchard 2, Walter Johnson 0

By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com

Quince Orchard’s field hockey team is accustomed to reaching the 4A state semifinals. After all, the Cougars have accomplished that feat now nine times in the past 11 years.

But eight of those times were under former coach Jenna Ries. This year it was partially up to Coach Laura Williams to guide Quince Orchard to the state playoffs once again.

Williams and the Cougars delivered a familiar stellar performance, beating Walter Johnson 2-0 Thursday night in Gaithersburg. Quince Orchard will now face the winner of Westminster and Dulaney, who played in the 4A North regional final, on Wednesday.

“You can’t just expect to go to states because you’ve done it before,” said sophomore Leah Hunsinger. “So with a new coach and all, we knew we would have to work extra hard to get back there.”

Williams has turned Quince Orchard (14-3) into a passing team this year, switching from the previous hit-and-chase mentality that banked on the team’s athleticism. Williams said it didn’t take the girls long at all to adjust to her. It was more difficult for her to adjust to them, she said.

“I think I was more nervous getting them at least to and past this point,” Williams said. “I know they’re used to getting here and above.”

But senior Brooke Lee, for one, was a bit skeptical of Williams’ changes early on considering all the success Quince Orchard had the old way.

“I was kind of skeptical because I like personally hitting the ball and running with it with speed and running into other teams without doing all the work,” Lee said. “But the passing game really works if we all go together and if everyone is plugged in.”

Now, as Lee put it, she’s a believer.

Lee scored the game’s first goal with 21 minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Quince Orchard a great deal of comfort early on.

Top-seeded Quince Orchard, who beat Thomas Johnson to advance to the 4A West region final, netted its next goal just a few minutes into the second half when sophomore Leah Hunsinger pushed a shot from a difficult angle between the goalie’s pads.

“The entire game I was trying to score for the team and for myself I guess,” Hunsinger said. “My whole goal was to get it in the net and I just tried as hard as I could to get it in there.”

Walter Johnson’s season ends with a 12-4 record. The Wildcats took the county by storm this season, capturing its division title and knocking off one of the county favorites, Churchill, in Tuesday’s regional semifinals.

Junior Georgina Beven said she felt the Wildcats established themselves as one of the county’s best teams this year and vowed that Walter Johnson would come out just as hard next season.

But as for this year, Quince Orchard was – even under a new coach – too much to handle.

“QO is a really good team; I really hope they make it all the way to states,” Beven said. “They’re all really good players. There’s not one player on that team is bad.”