After splitting their two regular-season matchups, the Meridian Mustang field hockey team welcomed their rivals from Fauquier County into town on Thursday night with a District crown on the line. The Mustangs beat the Falcons 1-0 at home back on September 17th but then lost to them 0-3 at their house, and in addition to the trophy, the two teams had seeding in the Regional Tournament on the line.
It was clear early in the going that this would be a tight contest, with neither team able to dominate possession and some choppy play that was routinely interrupted by stoppages. There was no scoring throughout the first period, though Meridian had some solid chances, and then after a series of short corner shots late in the second, Lila Deering found Delaney Flanagan in front of the net to put the Mustangs ahead 1-0. That was how they went into the halftime break, and when play resumed, Fauquier saw some quality opportunities early in the third that were stopped by Baelyn Reinfurt. The Mustangs were able to keep their feet on the gas and saw plenty more time in the offensive zone, and though they didn’t score again, they kept Fauquier from ever finding a rhythm and held on for the win.
After her girls had raised the District Championship trophy, head coach Anne Steenhoek noted how thrilled she was for her team, particularly its seven seniors. The Mustangs earned the top seed for the Regional Playoffs with the win, as well as a first-round bye that will allow them to rest until Wednesday when they’ll play host to Culpeper County.
