The name “reverse chip” doesn’t do it justice.
Not when Covenant sophomore Maddy Fagan unleashes the maneuver that’s become her signature, a backhand blast that’s loud, happens quickly and absolutely moves. Tuesday it left Highland’s goalie frozen and then scratching her head as it has done to so many goalies this year.
“The funny thing about Madison is that she’s almost more comfortable hitting a ball into the cage than her strong, normal stick,” said Covenant coach Annie Gumbs. “It’s almost as if that’s her home base.”
The goal midway through the first half gave Covenant an early advantage, and it held up as No. 4-seeded Covenant dominated possession en route to a 2-0 victory over the fifth-seeded Hawks in the VISAA Division 2 quarterfinals. The Eagles will now face top-seeded Fredericksburg Academy in the state semifinals at Norfolk Academy Friday at noon after FA beat Nansemond-Suffolk 10-0.
Fagan’s goal and the shot that created it was far from a fluke or just a talent she stumbled across. The sophomore mastered the hard-to-defend shot with a lot of hard work in the offseason. It makes her particularly tough to guard, like a point guard in basketball who can attack the basket with either hand off the dribble.
“I’ve been working on that shot for awhile and I think I nailed it this summer,” Fagan said. “I’ve worked really hard for that and you’re kind of in the zone and it just happens. It’s really hard to get a perfect strike on that.”
It has also become routine this year.
“She hits those on a regular basis,” said Covenant coach Annie Gumbs. “It’s kind of fun now that I’m not actually shocked anymore. It’s just like ‘there’s another one.’ It’s pretty exciting.”
Fagan’s goal wasn’t the only example of hard work paying off Tuesday night for the Eagles either. Senior Liz Llera, in just her second year on the Covenant hockey team, scored late in the second half to push the Covenant advantage to 2-0.
“She’s a perfect example to show you what hustle and hard work will get you,” said Covenant sophomore Lizzy Shim. “It’s only her second year and it’s great to see that if you put in the work how much you’ll get out of it.”
Llera got her goal by cleaning up around the cage, craftily getting into position on another shot from the Eagles from outside. It paid off big-time for Covenant as the cushion gave the Eagles some serious breathing room.
“That’s what I always do, I kind of cherry pick right on the post so I can get the little tips in,” Llera said. “Usually that’s our problem is that we shoot and they always go wide. Even though I’m not a forward, that’s just something that I’ve done all season that usually works.”
The Eagles’ defense and work in the midfield made those two goals stand up. Rarely did the Hawks even get a chance to test Santia McLaughlin, who’s playing in her first postseason for Covenant. The Eagles’ defense, with Shim as the tip of the spear, has been a work in progress, making huge strides throughout the year while slowly emerging as a big strength for Covenant, a unit they can lean on in the state playoffs.
“From everyone else I just hear that the defense has improved so much and I’m just glad that they kept it steady and didn’t break down,” McLaughlin said.
It’s a virtual guarantee that McLaughlin will see a series of shots from Fredericksburg Academy on Friday as the Falcons boast several Division I recruits. The Eagles did manage to beat FA last year when they played in the season opener, though the Falcons held a distinct advantage in shots and possession — Covenant simply capitalized when it got a chance. They’ll likely need a similarly opportunistic effort to upend the Falcons again Friday.
With a cadre of older players setting the tone, Covenant should be up for the challenge.
“It’s a pretty special group,” Gumbs said. “We only have two seniors and two juniors and I’d say those four girls do a phenomenal job of including everyone, of bringing everyone together. You see that on the field and also off the field.”
