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STATESMEN SCOREBOARD    VARSITY, MON 4/9 WT WOODSON 15   MARSHALL  1      JV, MON 4/9 WT WOODSON 10   MARSHALL  1

WT Woodson High School, 4/9/07 --
WOODSON SHOWS WHY THEY'RE IN LAXPOWER'S TOP TEN

Peter Martinez nicks the goalie's glove while scoring the JV goal against Woodson!

Oh man, I thought the Groundhog didn't see his shadow this year. Winter was supposed to be over by now!

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the biggest problem facing our Statesmen LAX squads, or for our hearty band of loyal followers, as we traveled to WT Woodson. Nope. Tonight the real problem was a Cavaliers offense that played ball control, showed great stick handling, and kept pummeling goalkeeper Jon Geiger with shot after shot after shot.

Our JV squad came into tonight's game with 3 wins and 2 ties - hoping to keep the undefeated streak alive. But man, these guys were good! We had our hands full just holding 'em to a still-within-striking-distance 4-0 lead at the half. Unfortunately, the second half was all Cavaliers.

Jon Geiger had a good day in goal with 7 saves, but we were outdone by Woodson's efficiency in collecting ground balls--which translated pretty directly into time of possession, shots on goal, and ultimately points on the scoreboard. Peter Martinez finally blasted a shot past the Cavs goalie in the 4th to make it a 10-1 final.

Welcome to the buzz-saw that we call the Liberty District schedule! Once again, the Liberty is packing LAXpower's Northern Virginia Top Ten. And Hayfield (who we played a couple of weeks ago) is ranked #4. Tonight we saw again what the level of competition is like at the top of this Region.

Of course our Statesmen played with guts and determination throughout the game, and our defense was under constant pressure from the opening whistle. We showed a ton of spirit and pride out there tonight--especially against a tough opponent like Woodson, and especially on the Caveliers' home turf--and our Statesmen put just everything on the line.

The schedule gives us a short breather, but then we face Langley two Fridays from now - April 20. (Buckle up!) It's a home game so BE THERE Statesmen fans! Marshall Pride!

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JV GAME: WT WOODSON 10 - MARSHALL 1
These are pictures from the JV game. Pictures from the Varsity game are on the Varsity Pix page!

Our JV squad is undefeated, but we know we're facing a huge challenge tonight! Huddle up! ... Marshall Pride!

Anson Felder (#39) looms over the pregame warmup :-)

Coach Antonellis is calm before the storm.

Coach Gehley can see we're gonna have to control the ball to win this game.

GAME ON! Craig Murphy (#18) leans into the face-off with everything he's got ... Wow! (I *love* this pic!)

Soph attacker Peter Martinez (#22) starts us off ...

... but pretty soon we're looking at loose balls on the ground. Long stick Collin Newcomb (#29) scraps for the pickup, but he's surrounded

BOOM! A tough-hitting game is a Statesmen trademark, but tonight the Cavs get the highlight-reel hit. Fortunately, Steven Nguyen (#15) won't stay down for long! :-)

A tough-hitting game is a Statesmen trademark :-) Nick Keshavarz-Nia (#37) knocks this defender back on his heels

Uh oh! Tough hitting from this angle sends Brandon McCullen (#28) to the penalty box

60double

61double

Woodson gets some early goals but we fall back on fundamentals to keep the game tight. #44 Tommy McCormick stickhandles through heavy traffic.

Peter Martinez hangs on after a huge hit!

The scoreboard favors Woodson but we're getting our chances. #25 Cameron Herbolsheimer lets fly with a perimeter shot ...

... while Peter Martinez fires off a shot from mid-range in front of the crease (look at the top middle of the photo for the shot on its way).

The Statesmen D plays up close and personal!

Close checking keeps the Statesmen in this game. Just like Coach Gehley said, this game has to be tight!

Another fave photo ... #28 Brandon McCullen and #29 Collin Newcomb stand in tough against the Cavs attack

John Geiger is gettin' pummeled. But he never gives an inch!

John Geiger stands his ground even when the Woodson attacker is able to set up from point blank range! The score at halftime is Woodson 4, Marshall 0.

OK, we're trailing at halftime against a really strong Cavs squad, but 4-0 is definitely within striking distance. Coach Antonellis leads this halftime huddle.

Coach Engley touches up with each different unit at halftime

Coach Henry--and all the Statesmen coaches--work on adjustments that can help change our fortunes in the 2nd half!

Coach Goins is everywhere ...and trying to wear out his walking cast!

The second half starts and our Defense is in their shirts! Frosh defender Andrew Embree (#41) gets a clean take-away!

After the take-away, Andrew breaks free and leads the clear ...

#35 Roman Polyakov roars up the sideline with a Cav middie barking on his heels :-)

Speaking of barking on his heels, Collin Newcomb leads an entire PACK of Cavs on a clear!

Lot of action out here! Tommy McCormick settles us down to try to work the offense ...

... and Peter Martinez takes the cue, working the horn, looking for an opening ...

BAM! Steven Nguyen gets a chance and fires off a shot!

When the going gets tough, Craig Murphy gets going!

Wait, wait! Is that guy Too Tall or are we just reachin' down for the ground ball?

THERE'S your ground ball. RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CREASE! #27 Alex Guerin and #22 Peter Martinez scramble!

Oh man, pickin' up ground balls is critical. Basics first: Brandon McCullen takes the man while Andrew Embree takes the ball.

Turnabout on the basics: #31 takes Andrew while #14 takes the ball.

Andrew Embree is EVERYWHERE! The Cavs lead is huge, but our Statesmen are fired up!

Always a nice sight when the oppo goalie is peekin' around the corner as Anson Felder and Brandon McCullen prowl in front of the crease!

Cameron Herbolsheimer takes a pass right in the slot! Our offense is definitely turning up the pressure.

#6 Danny Zirkle gets a clean pick up!

SHOT! SCORE! GOAL! Peter Martinez fires a blast that seems to go right THROUGH the goalie's glove!

But at the end of the game we're back where we started. Woodson has possession and we're doubling up to protect the crease.

And there it is. Another shot on goal ... and it gets through. Final score for the JV: Woodson 10, Marshall 1.

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For your moment of Statesmen Zen, we are 100% certain. Groundhog Day gave us NO WARNING AT ALL that the winter was gonna go on like this :-)