One day of the annual Herndon Invitational Field Hockey Tournament got into the books two weeks ago before rainy weather forced postponement of second day action.
The tournament, hosted by Herndon High School and now in its 14th year, is scheduled to resume this Saturday morning. Third round games action will begin at 8 a.m. The finals will take place later in the day at about 1 p.m. Twelve teams are taking part in this year’s event.
The host Herndon team, in first day action of its own tournament on Sept. 5, defeated Marshall in overtime before losing to Lake Braddock, 2-0, later in the day.
"We were very excited to beat Marshall in overtime," said Herndon coach Phyllis Pearce. "And [the girls] played excellent against Lake Braddock."
On Saturday when the tournament resumes, Herndon is scheduled to play Mount Vernon in its first game. Its opponent in the second round will be determined based on the outcome of other games. In a pre-season scrimmage a few weeks ago, the Hornets lost to the Majors, 3-0.
Pearce said her 2008 team has a good blend of experience and younger players.
"We have a good mix," she said. "This team has a little more energy then I’ve had in the past. I’ve been very encouraged."
Herndon’s team tri-captains this fall are seniors Liv Mann (link position), Jamie Skrocki (center) and Hailey O’Brien (center back).
"They’ve [shown] leadership and enthusiasm on and off the field," said Pearce, of the trio.
Other key members on this year’s squad include senior center forward Abby Jones, a good distributor of the ball, junior left wing Carly Mann, one of the team’s best goal scorers, and senior right wing Shannon Murphy.
Herndon’s non-tournament wins have come over Stuart, 1-0, and local rival South Lakes, 3-0. Last week, the Hornets (3-3) lost a tough 2-1 game to visiting Yorktown in drizzling, wet conditions.
"It was a tremendous game," said Pearce, of the one-goal setback to the Patriots. "We had many opportunities to win the game and many fastbreak [chances]."
In action this week, Herndon was scheduled to play at T.C. Williams on Tuesday before meeting Fairfax High at home on Wednesday. And, of course, action at the Herndon Tournament is set to begin again on Saturday.