George C. Marshall Boys Soccer

The Statesmen soccer team finished their regular season on a strong note with two convincing wins, but not before a loss to defending state champion Thomas Jefferson reminded them of how far they still have to go.

Last Thursday, the Statesmen traveled to play the defending state champion Thomas Jefferson, with a chance to clinch fourth place in the Liberty District. Unfortunately for the Statesmen, Thomas Jefferson returned most of its talent from its state championship team, talent that keyed a 2-0 win over the Statesmen. Thomas Jefferson played tenacious defense on senior strikers Gregory Goldbach and Jorge Romero, limiting their effective chances on goal all game.

The next night, the Statesmen regrouped, realizing how competitive they stayed with the defending state champion, taking out their aggression on Mount Vernon to the tune of a 4-0 victory. The out-of-district game allowed the Statesmen to shake off the loss from the preceding night, and also gave Goldbach a chance to break out of his Jefferson-induced funk, as he scored a goal against Mt. Vernon. Freshmen Julian Smith and Dylan Goodale each added a goal of their own, while sophomore Luis Ibanez Bautista, a call-up from the JV team, rocketed a goal to the far back corner of the net as well.

The Statesmen hoped their confidence from the Mount Vernon game would spill over in their final home game/senior night against South Lakes, a game to decide home field advantage for the Liberty District tournament. After knowing they let the fourth seed slip away last week, the Statesmen came out fired up, handing South Lakes a 4-1 defeat. Goldbach played like he had something to prove against South Lakes, as he singlehandedly dominated Marshall’s district rival all night, scoring three goals and adding an assist to fellow senior Jorge Romero. The Statesmen clinched Marshall’s first-ever home seed in tournament play, along with third place in the Liberty District given Langley’s loss to McLean.

The Statesmen begin their postseason at home on Monday, May 12 against W.T. Woodson for the first round of district tournament play.

McLean Boys Lacrosse

A number of Highlanders earned the distinction of being named to the all-district team. Midfielder Sean Flint, midfielder Alex Russomanno and defender Grayson Dahl all earned a spot on the All-Liberty District First Team. Brad Mason, an attacker for the lacrosse team, was named to the second team all-district. McLean also had five honorable mentions: attack Jack Blumenthal, attack George Arkwright, midfielder Ryan Jarriel, midfielder Matt Wellens and defender Aaron Cornwell.

McLean Crew

The McLean girls crew team competed at the Ted Phoenix Regatta on May 3, where the women’s freshmen eight won the Ted Phoenix Regatta Trophy. The regatta is the showcase for lower boats, freshmen and novices, of area high school crew teams. Coxswain Emmy Levine called the shots for the gils freshmen eight, pulling to first place with a healthy three-second margin to boot. Other members of the girls freshmen eight include Rachel Youssef, Chloe Benner, Chelsea Skinner, Zeynep Arslan, Yuriko Salmon, Jullie Glauber, Stephanie Kerruish and Nikki Kerruish. The girls novice four boat, racing for the first time, finished in fourth-place, while the boys freshmen eight competed in the Petite Finals for a third place finish.