Rebels Look to Capture Third Consecutive District Title

When asked for one word that best describes her team, Fairfax field hockey head coach Amber Beaudoin answered, “cohesive.” Fairfax capped its regular season Wednesday with a 3-1 win over district foe Marshall, in a game that determined which team received the top seed in next week’s Liberty District tournament.

With the win, Fairfax (10-6, 5-1 Liberty District) secures a first-round bye in the district tournament and a chance to capture the school’s third consecutive Liberty District title. It also gives the Rebels an automatic berth in the Northern Region tournament later this month.

In three seasons, Beaudoin’s Rebels amassed an impressive 45 wins and appeared in the 2009 Northern Region Tournament semifinals, where they suffered a tough one-point loss to South County. Eleven of the 21 players on Fairfax’s rosters are seniors and have fully embodied the team concept, which Beaudoin attributes much of the team’s success to.

“They have each other’s back more than any team I have ever coached. They’ll take the fall for each another for anything. They are a unit. If someone does something wrong, they’ll all take the blame,” said the 10-year coach.

In addition to cohesive, resilient is another word that describes this year’s squad. Plagued with an unusual amount of injuries this season, the team was forced to play several games without their full complement of players. Beaudoin points to the team’s lone district loss to McLean as a defining moment this season.

The Rebels entered the contest shorthanded as three key players were unavailable due to injury. The bus that was supposed to carry the team to McLean did not show up and players had to scramble to find their own mode of transportation to McLean High School. McLean defeated Fairfax 1-0 that evening, but Beaudoin implored her team to have a short memory, forge ahead and put the loss behind them.

“I expressed the importance of the other district games and that there was a lot more games left to be played. I told them that no matter what seed we enter the district tournament as, all that matters is how we play when we get there,” said Beaudoin.

“It doesn’t really matter how you get to that final, just as long as you get there.”

The team heeded her strong advice and finished the season with the McLean loss being the lone blemish on their Liberty District record. The Rebels have week to prepare and rest before entering Liberty District tournament play, which is tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

“This team, from the very beginning of the season, has been geared for next week. I hope to see, and am pretty confident that we will see some of the best hockey the team has played all year,” said Beaudoin.

“They’re focused, poised and ready to put it all together.”