Wake up call

Tears ran down the faces of Devilette varsity field hockey players as Osbourn Park's players shouted praises of joy at the end of the Culpeper-Osbourn Park field hockey game Monday.

The scoreboard read 1-0, Osbourn Park, but the score didn't reflect the way the game was played. The Yellow Jackets' Lauren Stewart scored the game's only goal with 12:32 left in the first half to give her team the upset win. CCHS coach Peggy Allen said her team was lackadaisical the entire game.

"There was no intensity from them today," Allen said. "It just looked like 11 individuals playing field hockey."

Both teams exhibited many missed opportunities and sloppy play. However, as the game went on Osbourn Park showed dominance in time of possession. Eventually, Osbourn Park capitalized on a corner hit and amid a scuffle near the goal Stewart nudged the ball past CCHS goalkeeper Nicole Woodworth.

Culpeper seemed to lag from the start of the game until the last few minutes where they started to pick up the intensity. By that time it was just too late for Culpeper to spark any offensive power. Throughout the game the Culpeper offense struggled to advance the ball into Osbourn Park territory.

When Culpeper did have chances to score there always seemed to be an OPHS player in the way of the goal. Culpeper's defense was what kept the Devilettes in the game for so long.

Ashley Mullins and Jackie Bedsaul were the key stopping forces whenever the Jackets had a corner hit or a free hit.

Overall, the loss doesn't hurt Culpeper (12-2, 8-1) in the standings. Second-place Fauquier was 9-5 and 5-3 in the Cedar Run District heading into Monday night's game against Stonewall Jackson.

When asked about her halftime speech calling out the lack of intensity, Allen was blunt when she said the Devilettes didn't respond until late in the game.

"They did not answer the call," Allen said. "You can't win the ball game by waiting till the last five minutes to play."

Allen said she was not planning on changing anything when the team returned to the practice field. Rather it was the Devilettes who needed to do some soul-searching and change themselves.

The game was definitely a wake-up call for Culpeper but it was also a confidence booster for Osbourn Park (7-7, 6-3). After the game, OPHS coach Kate Thomas displayed excitement all over her face.

"We have dug ourselves a hole in the district, but this is a good win and a boost of confidence for us as a team," she said. "We cleaned up some things defensively and we have had a lot of shooting practice last week even though it didn't show in this game. We will be a lot stronger during the district tournament with this win because of the fact we beat Culpeper."

John Lezcano can be reached at