CCHS advances to finals

BEALETON - The cow bells rang loud for the Culpeper County High School field hockey team on Tuesday night.

The No. 1 seed Blue Devils gave fans plenty to cheer for in their Cedar Run District Tournament semifinal match-up with the fifth-seeded Liberty, beating the Eagles 9-1.

"We went out wanting it," said CCHS coach Peggy Allen. "We just didn't execute at the beginning."

The Devils controlled the game from early on in the first half, allowing Liberty to cross midfield for the first time fourteen minutes into the game. Despite their obvious command, the Devils struggled to connect on a first goal.

"At the beginning we were slow," said senior Melissa Register. "After Coach Allen called a time out, we really picked it up."
Allen called the timeout with 9:48 remaining in the first half, which sparked a dramatic change in the score. Register scored just minutes later, to start the Devils offense.

"Coach Allen has a way with saying the right things," said Register. "She always pumps me up."

Allen said she was proud that her group played as complete unit.

"It was truly a team effort from start to finish," said Allen. "But Courtney Owens' two goals did help fire the girls up."

With less than two minutes left to play before the half, Owens was able to connect with the back of the net - twice.

"I stayed focused the entire game, I knew what I wanted out of the game and that was to win," said Owens.

The Devils went into the second half with a 3-0 lead, but began another run almost immediately, finishing the game with a 9-1 victory.

Register led the team offensively, finishing the game with five goals. Owens finished with two and Anna Green and Tiffany Jebson each added one.

"We played good, I think I did well," said Register, "But Tiffany and Courtney did really well for us tonight."

The Devils seemed confident in their future as the walked off the field.

"Liberty had a good little team," said Allen. "They played us hard, but Thursday is going to be our real test."

The Devilettes are set to play the winner of the Fauquier/ Osborne Park game on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Culpeper previously lost to Osborne Park, but are confident in their play.

"The girls are definitely not intimidated by them," said Allen. "They want revenge."

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