Last Saturday, George Mason High School held its prom. Because of the distractions that the biggest social of the year can brings, Mustangs girls soccer head coach Jennifer Parsons admits that she didn’t know what to expect during Friday’s practice.
Turns out she had nothing to worry about.
“It was their best practice of the season,” she said. “I was so impressed with them”
With the Region B playoffs starting this Monday, it appears that Mason is prepared to defend its state title.
On Monday, the Mustangs defeated Rappahannock County 8-0 in the Bull Run District semifinals. The team plays in the District finals at home tonight.
Parsons said that she credits her team’s leadership for keeping the Mustangs focused.
“The girls do a really good job of it themselves,” the coach said after the win against Rappahannock. “They know what it takes to win championships. The seniors, especially the upperclassmen, really hold them accountable for the speed of play and the level of play they have to do. If they’re not warming up hard enough, they’ll put their foot down. Every person on the team respects them so much, that they’re going to do exactly what they say.”
Heading into tonight’s game, Mason holds a record of 13-4, including 11 consecutive victories by a total combined margin of 73-2.
“I thought the level of play seemed very high,” Parsons said. “That’s definitely what we’re trying to do, have our subs go in and keep everything as it. I was really happy with the way they played today.”
Freshman Claire Trevisan scored five goals for Mason during the victory against Rappahannock.
“Most of goals were off assists from my teammates,” Trevisan said. “I think everyone was playing good crosses and I happened to be there.”
Because the regional playoffs rotate which school hosts throughout the postseason, this year it’s the Bull Run District’s turn. If things go right, Mason could host home playoff games through the first week of June.
“I use that as an incentive the whole regular season,” Parsons said. “Who wouldn’t love playing on your home field, not having to get on a bus to go two, three, four or five hours? They’ve done that before and they don’t want to do that again.”
The field itself may be an advantage for Mason.
“They know this field so well,” Parsons said. “I think our team plays really well on a short-cut, fast field. We have a ton of speed attacking wise.”
Also, there’s the advantage of home crowds, and home cooking.
“It’s a good advantage,” Trevisan said. “We can go home before the game and take a nap from school. Also, we have a lot of fans come out, which is energizing.
“And no bus rides.”
