Blazers rock Rockets

After conquering the Watkins Mill Wolverines, the Blair girls' varsity soccer continued their success with a dominating effort against the Richard Montgomery Rockets. The Blazers notched six goals for the second time in as many games, winning 6-1.

Led by an offense comprised mostly of juniors and sophomores, Blair controlled the game from kickoff. The game began relatively slow, with little action from either side. However, it was not long before junior Annie Worden would end the deadlock in the seventh minute. After muscling her way through several defenders, senior Katie Scott played a beautiful pass, guiding the ball between two Rockets right to the feet of Worden. After Worden sped by a defender and drew the goalie off her line, she dumped the ball past her into the back corner of the net for her third goal of the season.

The rest of the game continued on a similar note. The Blazers held the ball in Richard Montgomery's half for a large majority of the first half, but the Rockets began to threaten as halftime neared. Miscommunication led to several gaffes on the defensive end, but they managed to maintain the lead. "After we got our communication together, we locked down and broke up most of their plays before they even began," said senior Lizzie Horne.

Horne's sister, sophomore Erica Horne, mirrored her sister's strong play, using her body to beat back offenders. While the Blazers offense is predicated on a largely finesse attack, their defense is a gritty force unafraid of all comers.

The Blazers would post two more goals on the board before the first half ended, including a beautiful shot by freshman Sophie Read and a 30-yard rocket launched off the foot of Worden that found its way past the outstretched hands of the Richard Montgomery goalie.

After setting the tone for the game in the first half, the Blazers came out strong in the second half, and again found themselves dominating play. Their play was not infallible, however. In the seventeenth minute of the second half, a defensive breakdown led to a breakaway by the Rockets, who converted the opportunity for their first goal. It ultimately proved to be the lone offensive punch of the Rockets.

The Blazers quickly regained control of the game and once it was obvious victory was in Blair's hands, head coach Bob Gibb entered his younger players. "We displayed the depth we have on this team. We can put in any sub, and we will be competitive," said Gibb.

Blair's bench players matched the offensive outburst of its starters, scoring three more goals in the second half. Junior Claudia Guzman started the scoring in the second half, chipping a beautiful shot over the Rocket goalie in the twenty-first minute of the second half.

The Blazers kept the pressure on Richard Montgomery and scored another goal on a beautiful pass to Sophie Read from Worden. Read received the ball feet from the goalie, but quickly lofted the ball into the net, bringing the score to 5-1. Fellow freshman Saleiha Mayer-Marks also added to the scoring after she easily beat a defender and rocketed a hard ball into the net for Blair's final goal.

As they had in their first game, Blair's teamwork shone through. "Our girls are not selfish. They started giving each other assists even when they had shots on goal," said Gibb.

The team is also stacked with speed and skill. Four different players scored goals, and everyone got touches on the ball. And then there's Worden. "Annie is the full package. She is the captain and catalyst of the offense. When they started doubling on her at forward, I switched her to midfield and she fed the forwards good balls all game," said Gibb.

The Blazers take on county powerhouse Walt Whitman on September 18 at Whitman High School.