Bulldogs Score Early, Hang on for 1-0 Homecoming Win

The St. Albans soccer team wasted little time in establishing a strong offensive attack against St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Friday before a large Homecoming crowd on Steuart Field.  With senior Wayne Frederick as the catalyst, the Bulldogs generated several dangerous chances in the early going.  Frederick finally broke through at the 16:45 mark to give STA a lead they ultimately would not relinquish.  Russ Khosravi, James Boyle, Jack Marriott, and Niall Fergus joined Frederick in keeping the offensive pressure up throughout the first half.  But the St. Stephen’s goalkeeper and defense were able to thwart many attacks and benefited from some narrow misses off corner kicks. 

 

St. Albans continued attacking from the second half kickoff.  Similar to Tuesday’s IAC game at Bullis, STA consistently created chances with midfield speed, quality crosses, and many great balls on free kicks and corner kicks.  At the same time the St. Albans backline and goalkeepers Spencer Hall and Scott Speaker locked down the Saints attack.  The Bulldogs were on point defensively most of the afternoon winning a majority of 50/50 balls, marking off-ball opponents with tight coverage, and making smart clears.  The Saints pressed aggressively for the tying goal as the second half drew to a close, especially in the final 10 minutes of regulation and five minutes of stoppage time.  St. Albans moves to 5-2-2 overall on the season and 1-0-1 in the IAC.  The Bulldogs continue conference play next week with games at Georgetown Prep Tuesday (4:30pm) and Episcopal Friday (4:15pm).

 

Former St. Albans soccer coach and history teacher Molly Woodroofe was remembered at halftime.  Ms. Woodroofe was an omnipresent member of the faculty at St. Albans from 2003 to 2013.  In addition to coaching and teaching she served as Assistant Head of Admissions, a class advisor, and led the school’s 2010 Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS) accreditation process.  Ms. Woodroofe passed away in 2016 after a courageous battle against cancer.  Many current and former STA colleagues of Ms. Woodroofe came onto the field for the remembrance and were joined by her sister Louise and nephew John.