After a gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, down to the last second battle, the Lady Raiders defeated the Freedom Eagles (14-13) at George Mason on Wednesday night. The Lady Raiders dug deep and played hard from beginning to end. Lighting up the scoreboard for the Raiders were Seniors Hannah Young with 1 goal and Christine Rihn with 1 goal and 1 assist, Junior Sydney Hewartson with 4 goals and 2 assists, Sophomore Rachel Solis with 7 goals and 4 assists and Freshman Haley Knudsen with 1 goal and 1 assist. The attack was on fire, fighting oppressive checks with fast breaks and scoring drives straight to the goal!

Down on the defensive side, an impressive game was played. Stopping passes and dishing out a straight denial to the goal were Juniors Lesya Chopivsky, Caila Cummings, Jaci Shepherd, and Kasey Fletcher, Sophomore Shannon Rose and Freshman Haley Knudsen. Starring in goal was Sophomore Jessie Joseph who dominated her previous personal best to make an amazing 26 saves! Coach Wilhelm couldn’t ask for a better birthday present than that.

The Raiders are pumped to travel to their first regional appearance of the season on Monday May 24^th.

Making a big statement through blood and bruises at Dominion High School the Lady Raiders dominated the field with a final score of 16 – 13. Putting relentless shots past the goalie for Raiders’ points were Seniors Hannah Arnold (1 goal), Christine Rihn (1 assist) and Hannah Young (1 goal, 1 assist), Juniors Caila Cummings (1 goal) and Sydney Hewartson (3 goals 4 assists), Sophomore Rachel Solis (8 goals 1 assist) and Freshman Haley Knudsen (2 goals 1 assist). The Lady Raiders battled through heckling and wild checks alike, always showing the class and dignity they have come to be known for.

The Great Wall stood strong once again on defense. Defensive leader Lesya Chopivsky was aided by Juniors Jaci Shepherd, Kasey Fletcher and Jackie Causey, Sophomore Shannon Rose and Freshman Haley Knudsen in nabbing 20 interceptions and gaining control of the ground balls 19 times. When the Raiders have their game face on they are unstoppable!

As their season heats up, the Raiders prepare for a game against Potomac Falls on Monday.

On a chilly evening under the setting sun, the Lady Raiders fell to the George Mason Mustangs (10-7) who happen to be the current leaders in the Dulles District. The Raiders battled hard to win the first half of the game, scoring 5 of their 7 goals. In the second half the Mustangs came out with a vengeance both seen and felt by all who were in attendance. Scoring for the Lady Raiders: Senior Hannah Young (2 goals), Junior Caila Cummings (1 goal), Sophomore Rachel Solis (3 goals, 1 assist) and Freshman Haley Knudsen (1 goal).  Senior Christine Rihn and Junior Sydney Hewartson both added assists as well.

Defensively, the Great Wall was back to start the game with strong slides and complete denial toward the goal. Juniors Lesya Chopivsky, and Jaci Shepherd as well as Sophomore Shannon Rose held strong to help their goalie. Sophomore goalie Jessie Joseph had a record breaking, team- lifting, crowd-cheering 15 saves throughout the game!  The Raiders picked up 21 ground balls and had 9 interceptions to keep them in the game.  The Raiders showed that they won’t be overlooked!

The Lady Raiders head to Dominion on Thursday for what will surely be another hard fought game!

Following a hard week, both emotionally and physically, the Lady Raiders Lacrosse team came together to put a win in the books against visiting Potomac High School (17-4). Goals were spread out among the attack with a total of 17 goals and 11 assists for the Raiders. Traveling down the beaten path towards goal for the Raiders were Seniors Christine Rihn (1 goal, 2 assists), Hannah Arnold (1 goal, 1 assist) and Hannah Young (4 goals, 3 assists), Juniors Sydney Hewartson (3 goals, 1 assist), Caila Cummings (2 goals, 2 assists)and Kasey Fletcher(1 goal), Sophomore Rachel Solis (2 goals, 1 assist)and Freshmen Haley Knudsen (1 goal, 1 assists) and Sarah Greenspon (2 goals).

On the other side of the field the Lady Raiders formed a wall of defense to protect their goal. Sophomore goalie Jessie Joseph had an amazing 13 saves aided by Junior Jaci Sheppard, Sophomore Shannon Rose and Freshman Stephanie Schulze. The team had 13 ground balls, 10 interceptions and controlled the draw 15 times!

The Lady Raiders play host to George Mason on Wednesday and travel to Dominion on Thursday.

Following a week full of games the Raiders were at it again this time battling the Park View Patriots. After traveling the not- so- long, but dusty road to Park View the Raiders were victorious with a final score of 20-7. Putting points on the board for the attack were Seniors Hannah Arnold (3 Goals, 2 Assists), Christine Rihn (2 Goals, 1 Assist) and Hannah Young (3 Goals, 1 Assist). Helping out the senior members of the team were Juniors Caila Cummings (3 Goals, 3 Assists), Kasey Fletcher (1 Goal), Sydney Hewartson (3 Goals, 3 Assists),   Sophomore Rachel Solis (4 Goals, 2 Assists) and Freshman Haley Knudsen (1 Goal).  

Defensively, the younger of the Raider Lacrosse crowd was making their presence felt. Junior Jackie Causey, Sophomore Shannon Rose and Freshman Stephanie Shulze dominated consistently. The team had picked up 14 ground balls, completed 14 takeaways and took control of the draw 18 times throughout the game.

The Lady Raiders prepare for their next battle this Saturday followed by another on Monday.

Last night’s game was a game that quickly started out goal for goal between the Raiders and the Eagles, and it seemed to have ended just as fast; with a heartfelt loss of 9-12.  Scoring for the Raiders included Sydney Hewartson (3G, 2 A), Rachel Solis (3G, 1A), Hannah Young (1), Caila Cummings (1G, 1A) and Hannah Arnold (1G, 1A).  Kasey Fletcher also helped out with one assist on the offensive end.  With great stick skills the Raiders had a total of 19 ground balls last night H. Arnold with 7, followed by S. Hewartson’s 4, H. Young’s 3, and R. Solis  and  Haley Knudsen each with 2. 

With sticks up and ready to force a turnover, the Raider’s defense was held strong by Caila Cummings with the majority of the 6 interceptions.  Haley Knudsen helped out immensely with her interceptions, ground balls and tight defense on the Eagle’s attack in efforts to stop shots made on Raider goalie Jessie Joseph who had 10 saves last night.  Jaci Shepherd had 2 takeaways herself and never once let up on her defensive edge over the Eagles.  Although the outcome wasn’t what the team was looking for, they will be ready to fight back for their next game.  The Raiders are currently 1-1 in the Dulles District and will play Battlefield at home tonight at 6:00. 

On a dark and blustery evening the Lady Raider lacrosse team defeated the Heritage Pride (19-16) in regulation play. The Raiders dominated on ground balls and transitions to take control of the game from the start.

Setting the scoring train in motion was Junior Sydney Hewartson who scored just 43 seconds into the game. Goals were scored by 6 of the 12 players on the field showing that the Raiders, as a team, are a force to be reckoned with. Setting the goal ablaze, with speed and accuracy, were Seniors Hannah Arnold with 3 goals and 3 assists, Hannah Young with 2 goals and 2 assists and Christine Rihn with 1 goal. Juniors Caila Cummings (1 goal 3 assists), Kasey Fletcher ( 1 assist), and Sydney Hewartson (2 goals 1 assist) all put points in the book. Sophomore Rachel Solis was an unstoppable force with an amazing 10 goals and 1 assist. Needless to say, the Raiders were on fire!

On the other side of the field- the Great Wall of Defense was composed of Juniors Lesya Chopivsky, Jaci Shepherd, Sophomore Shannon Rose, Freshman Haley Kundsen and Sophomore goalie Jessie Joseph. The defense was able to work together to stop the fast break and snag 11 interceptions as well as gain control of a vast number of ground balls.

The Raiders have truly earned their Spring Break and will return fully rested and ready for competition in the coming weeks.

After a hard fought battle, in the heat of early Spring, the Lady Raiders Lacrosse team suffered a close loss (17-19) to Brentsville high school during a grueling overtime on Saturday March 20^th. Despite the loss the girls played their game and made many improvements on their goals as a team.

Helping to keep the score tight on the attack side Sophomore Rachel Solis had an amazing 7 goals and 1 assist, Junior Sydney Hewartson had 5 goals and two assists and Senior Hannah Young had 3 goals and 1 assist.  Making her scoring debut for the Lady Raiders was Freshman Julia Adler with 1 goal assisted by Sophomore Dominique Lategano.

In goal, for the first time of her high school career, was fearless Freshman Sarah Greenspon. She made an amazing 6 saves aided by the great-wall composed of Juniors Lesya Chopivsky, Kasey Fletcher and Jaci Shepherd.

Freshman Haley Knudsen scored the goal to tie the game and send the Raiders into overtime. Senior Hannah Young also contributed a goal in overtime to keep the team’s energy high despite the searing heat and exhaustion.

It will be a big week for the Raiders as they host Battlefield High on Monday and travel to Woodbridge and Heritage on Wednesday and Thursday.  Go Lady Raider Lacrosse!

The Lady Raiders started their season with a close win (15-14) over Potomac Falls- a formidable opponent. Their straight-shooting offense was coupled with a strong and unyielding defense. The season is off to a well-founded start.

On offense, junior Sydney Hewartson and sophomore Rachel Solis each contributed 5 goals and 2 assists to push the Raiders to victory. Seniors Christine Rihn and Hannah Young along with juniors Caila Cummings and Kasey Fletcher helped the cause with goals and assists as well.  Rachel Solis also contributed to the cause with 3 interceptions to give the Raiders control of the game. It was truly a team effort!

Also showing a need for speed and perfection were junior defender Lesya Chopivsky and sophomore defender Jaci Shepherd with impressive feats of strength to the Raiders advantage. Making her Varsity debut was freshman Sarah Greenspon in goal with aid from returning sophomore goalie Jessie Joseph who had a whopping 9 saves. Also making a name for herself on the varsity scene was freshman Haley Kundsen who is sure to serve as a formidable force to be reckoned with.

The Lady Raiders look forward to a colossal season gearing up for an away game at Brentsville on Saturday and a big set of games next week.

The Women's lacrosse team raised their record to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the district on senior night in a thrilling come-from-behind victory over George Mason. The two teams entered the game tied for second, but the Raiders emerged victorious (14-13) from the hard fought battle. The Raiders trailed by 2 goals (13-11) with 15 minutes left, but rallied to score the final 3 goals of the game, 2 of them in the final 2 minutes by freshman Rachel Solis.

Scoring was distributed among 5 players with senior Brooke Hewartson leading them with 6 goals and 3 assists. Also scoring were senior Ginny Burke (3 goals), Hannah Young (2 goals, 3 assists), Rachel Solis (2 goals), Caila Cummings (1 goal) and Christine Rihn (1 assist).

The defense held Mason scoreless for the final 15 minutes of the game behind goalie Jessie Joseph's 13 saves. Other outstanding defensive performances were turned in by Lesya Chopivsky (5 ground balls), Sydney Hewartson (4 ground balls), Hannah Arnold (4 ground balls, 1 interception), Kasey Fletcher (1 interception), Madi Kelliher, Caroline Joseph, and Krista Kearney.

The Raiders travel to Eastern View High School in Culpepper tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 for their final out of district game of the season and finish the regular season on Monday away at Park View.