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Strike Fast: Covenant girls soccer cruises past HRA into state final four

Photo by Kristi Ellis

Sometimes soccer teams want to feel the opponent out for the first few minutes, get a feel for their gameplan and approach. 

 

Sometimes the blitz is on.

 

Covenant girls soccer clearly wanted to go on the attack Wednesday. 

 

The Eagles got going fast in the VISAA D1 state quarterfinals, burying two goals in the opening two minutes from Isabella Conklin and Makayla Hargrove en route to a 7-0 win over Hampton Roads Academy. 

 

“We talked a lot recently about keeping our energy up, and a lot of that starts with coming out the second the clock starts and showing them the game is ours,” said Covenant keeper Tegan Murrie. “That we’re going maintain it, hold it and win it right away.”

 

The Eagles kept the offense rolling after last week’s blowout Blue Ridge Conference championship win over North Cross Saturday where the Eagles scored 10 goals, with Conklin notching four goals on the day while Hargrove scored twice and Stella Maton chipped in with one goal, the final of the first half that vaulted Covenant to a 4-0 lead at the break. 

 

“For me it’s really big because I’ve never done this before…so it’s really exciting,” said Hargrove, an eighth grader. “For the team, it’s a big win for us and I think we’re going to win this.”

 

Conklin’s speed and quickness gave the Navigators all kinds of problems throughout the game. Her second of those four goals came on a penalty kick in the first half. But the other three were in large part because HRA simply couldn’t handle her quickness as she knifed through the defense on runs or drives. 

 

That helped the rest of Covenant’s attack stay connected and they were locked in throughout the game. 

 

“I think we made really good passes and we worked hard, we moved the ball, switched it around and we had good goals today,” Hargrove said. 

 

Conklin, Abi Shim, Hargrove and Ana Livelli tallied one assist each with Murrie had two saves during her time in net and gave way midway through the second half to Annelise Seiler who took over and held up for five saves. Murrie, who has been a stalwart in the net during her career for the Eagles, got a chance to play in the field the rest of the game and nearly finished off a goal.

 

“I got roped in in ninth grade to try out keeper because of course nobody wanted to do it and somehow I’ve stayed in it the past four years,” Murrie said. “But I like to joke with coach that I need to get some cardio in — I clearly don’t know what I’m doing on the field but I do enjoy when I get to do it.”

 

Now the Eagles move on to taking on Eastern Mennonite in the state semifinals after No. 6-seeded Eastern Mennonite upset No. 3 Christchurch in PKs after a 1-1 tie in regulation and overtime. Back in late March, the Eagles beat EMHS 5-2 at home. Now they’ll face them with a berth in the state title match on the line. 

 

“We’re super pumped, especially after this past year, it is a joy to be out here in general and especially to be able to compete at that level,” Murrie said.

 

 

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