Warhawks Continue Impressive Run With Northern Region Championship

After escaping a rare nail biter with a 15-14 win against Chantilly in the semifinals, Madison was right back to its typically dominant ways on Thursday. Allison Hahn had eight assists to go with her three goals, and Julia Kehoe and Megan Bisson each scored five goals as the Warhawks ran away from Oakton 23-14 to win the Northern Region championship and remain undefeated.

Kelsey Clarke and Carly Palmucci staked the Cougars to a 3-2 lead early in the first half, but it was all Madison after that. The Warhawks used a 5-0 run to take the lead for good, and Taylor Rivera-Silva made a couple of timely saves to ensure Oakton never garnered any momentum.

Palmucci finished with a career high seven goals. Emily George made seven stops in net before giving way to Gabriella Mazziotti midway through the second half, but the constant barrage of offense was too much for either to handle. While much had been made, it was clear that the game was decided on the field.

Hahn again proved why she deserved to be named Northern Region Player of the Year as she factored on six of Madison’s first nine goals with deft passing and quick moves around the net. Her 11 points bested the career mark she set one game earlier when she tallied five goals and four assists against Chantilly. The senior also shifted to defense as the Warhawks adopted a more conservative style as the lead grew.

“[An assist] is better than a goal for me,” Hahn said. “It means that we were able to move the ball, and a lot of them came off of [set] plays. Every single attacker we have can score, so I think it’s way more fun and shows how dynamic our team is if we can run those plays.”

Jackie Rupp helped the Cougars control five of the first six draws in building the early lead, but Madison soon took control of that stat. As has been the case all year, once Warhawks started rolling, there was no stopping them.

“We tried,” Oakton head coach Jean Counts said of the differential in draw control. “We asked them to just get in front of the girls so they can’t get a clean line to the ball, but we didn’t adjust. Normally when we’re down and not doing our game plan, we’re very good at adjusting. I don’t know if it was the fanfare of it all, but [while] this team isn’t young, we still act inexperienced.”

Rupp had a goal disallowed for a dangerous follow through that would have brought the Cougars within two at 7-5, and Hahn got her first score on Madison’s next possession to push the lead back to four. It  derailed any push Oakton may have been making. The Cougars got consecutive goals for just the second time when Palmucci scored twice to make it 20-11, but even then the game was out of reach.

While it’s been Madison’s depth that has brought them this far, Hahn has stood out as the star both on the field and in the huddle.

“I think what makes a great player is a player who makes the other people around her better, which has been 100% the case with Allison and some other returning players,” Madison head coach Amanda Counts said. "Hahn has really been one to set that example of leadership where she challenges the people around her all the time, and wants to be challenged back.”

The Cougars will travel to the Region II champions either Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4. Region II is a collection of AA level schools generally in northwest Virginia but also stretching down to the lacrosse hotbed of Charlottesville and points south. The title game between Western Albemarle (Charlottesville) and Woodgrove (Purcelville) will be played tomorrow.

Madison, meanwhile, will host the Northwest Region champion. Loudoun Valley (Purcelville) and Albemarle (Charlottesville) will play in one semifinal tomorrow, and Osbourne Park (Mannassas) and Battlefield (Haymarket) will square off in the other.