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Sports

Fairfax Field Hockey Off to a Good Start

Lady Rebels fighting valiantly without key players

Despite being decimated by injuries, the Lady Rebels field hockey team has had a great start to the 2011 season, with a record of 7-4, including a 2-1 start in conference play.  

The story thus far has been the solid play of the stingy defense.  Opponents are averaging 0.64 goals a game and the Lady Rebels have yet to give up any more than one goal in a single contest.  Even a Mclean team fresh off a 4-0 domination of No. 9 ranked Lake Braddock, needed overtime to break the deadlock for the 1-0 victory.

“We have two great goalkeepers,” head coach Amber Beaudoin said.  “And we’re also fortunate to have a lot of senior leaders in back.”

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Offensively, senior Cassidy Tammaro has been terrific, tallying a team-high four goals and two assists.  Fellow seniors Shannon Parker and Tiffany Balbuena have combined for five more goals, while junior Shannon Cosgrove has stepped up with three goals and two assists of her own.  Junior forward Sam Zelanck scored her first goal of the year against South Lakes Monday night to help Fairfax snatch vital 2-1 win. 

However, Zelanack, who also leads the team with three assists, left Monday’s game against South Lakes with an injury requiring seven stitches, and her status for the future remains unknown.  The same goes for Balbuena, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago.  Balbuena, along with Grace Holman, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL, were All-District performers for the Lady Rebels in 2010.

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“It is time for girls to step up,” Beaudoin said.  “We really need some of the younger players them to come in and prove they can play.”

One of the year’s early surprises has been the great play of sophomore defender Sarah Allen.  Not only has she been a big part of the stellar Rebel defense, but she has also contributed offensively with two assists.

Beaudoin also explained that she may have to shift around some of her stars to fill in for missing personnel.

“Paulina Tammaro and Alyssa Bird are two players who consistently play well and will play anywhere I ask them to,” she said.  “We may need to move them around to strengthen our lineup.”

Fairfax gets back into district play on Monday against cross town rival , a much needed win for the Lady Rebels to get back on track.

“Each district game means a lot to us,” she explained.  “That number one seed is so important come playoffs, we need to find ways to win despite the injuries.

Correction: This article originally reported that Fairfax was undefeated in conference play. Their correct record is 2-1 within the district.

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