George C. Marshall Boys Soccer

After an up-and-down week last week, the Statesmen of George C. Marshall High School found themselves in two hard-fought battles over the past seven days, both of which ultimately resulted in ties after an overtime period.

First, the Statesmen tied the visiting Langley Saxons, 2-2, on Friday night. The Statesmen started slow, allowing the Saxons to become the fourth-straight opponent to score the first goal of the game against the Statesmen. However, senior midfielder Brendan Stringer put them on the board with a goal. In the second half, the Saxons quickly struck to take a 2-1 lead, which they held for virtually the entire second half. In the last minute, sophomore midfield Ajay Amin capitalized on a free kick, tying the game at 2-2.

The Statesmen headed to Edison on Tuesday night for an out-of-district match and again Statesmen's opponent scored the first goal of the game, putting Marshall at an early disadvantage. The Statesmen battled back, scoring the next two goals of the game off a corner kick from freshman Julian Smith and a breakaway from senior Gregory Goldbach, only to watch as Edison tied the game with 12 minutes left. Edison received a penalty kick with 10 minutes left to play, but could not squeeze the ball past senior goalie Wally Al-Kakahn, sending the game into overtime. The Statesmen managed the only shot on goal during the OT period, but could not finish, resulting in their second straight 2-2 tie game.

“It takes a full 80-90 minutes of attention, period,” said Coach Ricardo Silva. “We expected things to happen, we waited, and we were tactically off tonight. A combination of those three things will sour a match. But it’s a good lesson for the boys and I'm glad it happened out of district. I tip my hat to Edison. They didn't wait, and they out hustled us.”

The Statesmen next travel to district rival Madison on Friday night at 7 p.m.

George Mason Softball

The Mason Softball team had a rough week last week, dropping two games a week after winning their first game of the season.

The Lady Mustangs played J.E.B. Stuart last Wednesday on Stuart’s inaugural game on their brand new field, which the Mustangs almost ruined before ultimately falling, 11-8. The Mustangs opened up a 4-1 lead at the end of the first inning as the Raiders’ starting pitcher struggled with ball control. The Mustangs increased their lead to 7-1 off the Raiders’ relief pitcher, thanks to defensive lapses by the Raiders’ defense, yet the Raiders came firing back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third to make it a 7-5 game. The Raiders finally took the lead in the fourth, scoring three runs on walks and errors by the Mustangs, and never gave up the lead again.

The girls’ first district home game, scheduled for last Friday against Manassas Park, was postponed, leaving the Mustangs focusing on their Tuesday game against district rival Madison County High School. Unfortunately for the Mason girls, the Madison team seemed more than ready, handing Mason it’s most lopsided defeat of the season, 25-0.

The Lady Mustangs will try to regroup and get some positive momentum going again as they head to Strasburg High School on Friday at 7 p.m.

McLean Softball

The McLean girls have officially righted their ship after losing their first two district games of the season, winning three games last week in convincing fashion. Last Tuesday night, the girls welcomed South Lakes to their field before walloping them, 15-0. The girls kept the momentum rolling the next day, heading to Thomas Jefferson for another blowout, this time 10-1 in favor of the Lady Highlanders.

On Friday, the girls met some resistance from the girls of George C. Marshall High School on the road before emerging victorious, 4-1. Marshall tied the game at 1-1 during the 6th inning after a McLean error. The Lady Statesmen were poised to expand on the lead and blow the game open before a laser throw from shortstop Lauren McColgan cut down a Marshall runner at home. The McLean bats warmed up in the seventh, as the Highlanders scored three runs to create just enough separation from Marshall to win the game.

Finally, on Monday night, the Lady Highlanders did just enough to squeak by W.T. Woodson at home, winning 4-3 for their fourth district win in a row.

The Lady Highlanders have their next game on Friday against Stone Bridge on the road at 6:30 p.m.

McLean Crew

Both the boys and girls crew teams from McLean were in action last weekend, as the men headed to the Smokey Jacobs Regatta at Occoquan Reservoir on Saturday while the girls traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the Manny Flicks/Horvat Series Regatta on Sunday.

The boys eight won second place after an explosive final 200 meters, while the boys lightweight four boat edged Woodson for first place.

The girls varsity and junior varsity boats brought home some serious hardware from Philadelphia after dominating performances by a number of boats. The varsity four won their heat, while the varsity quad, after winning its heat by 30 seconds, began renewing its rivalry with Conestoga High School. Last season, Conestoga and McLean raced head-to-head in the Scholastic Rowing Association Championships, with Conestoga edging out McLean for the championship. The women’s lightweight eight boat came in third place in its heat, and the junior four placed 16th in a timed start, but finished only five seconds behind the winner.

The McLean women are next headed to the ISA Championship Regatta this weekend in Mercer, N.J.