Oakton Returns to Regional Final with 13-9 Win Over Langley

The Oakton Cougars are peaking at just right the time. Two weeks ago they became the first team in recent memory to win three games en route to a Concorde District title. On Tuesday, they upended reigning Northern Region champions Langley 13-9 to secure a spot in the Virginia state tournament for the first time since winning three straight titles from 2006-2008. Now, a match up with undefeated powerhouse Madison stands in the way of a regional championship, and it’s going to be personal.

Carly Palmucci scored four goals and added two assists to pace the Cougars, who never trailed. Erin Long made 13 saves for Langley, including five on shots from free position, to keep the Saxons within striking distance.

An unrelenting offensive attack kept the ball in Langley’s half of the field enough to give Gabriella Mazziotti a relatively easy day in net for the Cougars. The senior needed to make just five saves to preserve the win. The defense in front of her also made sure that things never got too close.

“We were conservative in trying not to check as often,” Oakton head coach Jean Counts said. “We wanted them to play good, solid body defense, and it worked out really well.”

Both halves started with the teams getting comfortable moving the ball around, but each time it was Oakton who began to dominate possession. It seemed like whenever the Saxons did gain control of the ball, a Cougar defender was there to force a turnover.

“The story of the game was somewhere around nine or ten turnovers in the first half,” Langley head coach Richard DeSomma said. “You cannot give the ball away to a team that good that many times.”

The Saxons used short scoring bursts to pull within 9-5 and 11-7 in the second half, but Counts used her timeouts effectively to limit momentum, and the Cougars were able to answer every time.

“They're playing well as a team,” Counts said. “I think the hard part can be getting a couple people who do well every other game, but when they start to play together every game, that’s what makes a difference.”

Langley will now take on Chantilly, who lost to Madison 15-14 in the later game, in the consolation game with a spot in the state tournament on the line. The Cougars will play for their fourth regional title and first since 2008. No one from that squad remains.

For Jean Counts, the match up with Madison will be a familiar one, literally. Sister-in-law Amanda took over the Warhawks program in 2007 after spending two years as an assistant at Oakton. The teams have met four times since then, with Oakton winning the first two as Amanda built the program, and the Warhawks prevailing recently, including a 23-15 win on April 27. While Jean stuck around to scout her next opponent, Amanda commented on the rivalry after Madison’s win ensured the meeting.

“We are not head-to-head competitive with each other, but it’s no secret that no matter who I’m playing, I’m going to come out with the attitude that I’m going to win,” she said. “There will probably be a lot of similarities between what the teams do, but it’s never gotten to be a personal conflict between the two of us.”