Quince Orchard sophomore Alissa Peterson was not even supposed to start her team’s field hockey game against rival Northwest on Tuesday afternoon.
But the Cougars, as talented as they are, sometimes coast in games they figure to win. So when QO coach Jenna Siegel didn’t see the intensity she expected in warm-ups Peterson earned the unexpected nod.
The move paid off. Peterson scored three goals, including one just five minutes into the contest, and helped fuel a dominating 5-0 Quince Orchard victory at home against the Jaguars.
Peterson has made an immediate impact on a team that returned a ton of talent from last year’s 4A Region runner-up squad. Primarily a lacrosse and tennis player, Peterson had never picked up a field hockey stick until last month. She’s taken to the sport rather quickly. She had also scored three goals in a game against Kennedy last Saturday, most of them by deflecting passes from her teammates over the goalie’s stick.
“That’s something I’ve been working hard on lately,” Peterson said. “I just stood in front of the goal and practiced it over and over after practice. I feel like I’ve learned how to do it now.”
The second-ranked Cougars are a team on a mission after a heartbreaking loss to Churchill in last year’s 4A region final. With the victory, QO is now 5-1 and has outscored its four Montgomery County opponents by a combined 25-0. The Cougars finished with 24 shots on goal and 24 penalty corners.
Claw marks
» Northwest suffered its first defeat of the season. The Jaguars are 4-1 with a game looming Thursday at home against Poolesville.
» Senior midfielder Emily Ellenberger scored the other two goals for QO. Both came in the first half.
» Northwest senior goalie Becca Neal spent much of the game under siege as QO dominated time of possession. But Neal did make eight saves in the second half alone, including several point blank attempts by Cougars forwards.
