By Nick Porr

In a hard fought affair, Marshall High School girl’s varsity soccer fell to Oakton 0-1 in the regional quarterfinal Tuesday night.

The game was a defensive battle, with both teams failing to create many chances in the first half.

With 30 minutes left in the second half, Oakton got the best chance of the game so far from an Avery Bracher strike sent off the left post.

The Cougars looked the better team throughout; holding more possession, keeping the ball in Marshall’s half, and consistently winning 50-50 balls.

A pair of outstanding saves by Marshall’s goalkeeper Salam Milani kept the Statesmen’s hopes alive with 11 minutes and 10 minutes to go, respectively.

A late counter attack gave Marshall a chance to take the lead, but the shot from attacker Allie Fravel went just over the bar.

Despite the Marshall counter, Oakton continued to apply pressure to the Statesmen defense. 

Finally, with three minutes remaining, the Cougars got their goal. Oakton overwhelmed the Marshall keeper Milani, and got past her off a rebound shot from sophomore forward Isabella Yousefi with three minutes remaining. 

The late shot was enough to seal a win for Oakton, who advance to play Chantilly in the regional semifinals. 

Marshall’s season ends as they are knocked out of their regional tournament by the Concorde District Champions.