She doesn’t like to talk about it much. A superstitious nature leaves Oakton senior Kristin Girouard thinking about the present more often than a potential college scholarship.
Which is a good thing. As much promise as the future holds, the present looks pretty good for Girouard and the Cougars.
Oakton, which last season suffered a shocking, 1-0 loss to McLean in the first round of the Northern Region Tournament, was 9-3 entering last night’s Concorde District game at Centreville. The Cougars crafted an eight-game winning streak that included a 1-0 win against No. 4 Lake Braddock (11-2) on Sept. 25. Girouard led Oakton with five goals prior to the Centreville game, making a smooth transition from midfield to center forward a few games into the season.
“Kristin’s almost impossible for other teams to defend sometimes because of how quick she is even with the ball on her stick,” said Oakton coach Lizzie McManus. “There were times where she was beating everybody up the field. So we thought we might as well put her up front.”
Maybe the best news for the Cougars is their penchant for comeback victories. Oakton trailed by a goal last week against Jefferson and rival Westfield. But the Cougars rallied to beat Westfield 2-1 in double overtime on Friday and earned a 3-2 win against the Colonials, again in double overtime, on Saturday morning. Oakton has won four of six overtime games this season.
“That’s what has really taught us to play to the last second of a game no matter what the score is,” said Girourd, who lauded the play of a defense led by junior goalie Michelle Covington and senior all-district defender Stephanie Light. “You can’t ever stop. You have to keep playing. That will help us later this season.”
On the prowl
» Oakton has won three of the last four Concorde District championships.
» Junior midfielder Ashley Kimener, a first-team All-Northern Region selection in lacrosse, is second on the Cougars with four goals.
» Oakton lost three of its first four games. Third-ranked W.T. Woodson, Langley and Eastern Region contender Tallwood all beat the Cougars.
