Phillips holds her ground in shootout win

By Dave Utnik

Published: October 23, 2008

Lydia Phillips saw the stampede coming and it never crossed her mind to get out of the way. Not that she was overly concerned or anything.
It’s just that Forest Park’s sophomore goalie was still processing the drama that had unfolded on the field in front of her when her teammates arrived in a swarm of giddiness and nearly knocked her into the back of the cage.
Phillips remembers hearing a whistle and lunging to knock one last penalty stroke out of the air to preserve a 1-0 victory over Woodbridge on Thursday. Then everything was a blur of waving arms and high-pitched screams.
Forward Blair Lowe burst across the goal line with her arms open wide and pinned Phillips in a heartfelt embrace. Then Asia Johnson and Kirsten Wilburn lifted the rookie off her feet and dropped her to the ground as a dozen or so Bruins followed closely behind.
That’s when Phillips truly understood what it means to be Cardinal District champions.
“At the beginning of the game I never thought this would happen. I never thought we’d go into overtime,” Phillips said. “But it turned out really well. When I was back there I felt like the whole team was behind me.”
That’s the way it’s been all season for the Bruins, who adopted the motto, “We believe” and transformed themselves from a young, inexperienced team into regular season champions.
And Phillips was right in the middle of the action.
“She played a little bit as a JV player so for her to have this type of pressure on her, she did a great job,” Bruins coach Edie Pybus said. “You’d never know that she was nervous. She’s pretty much been a rock all year.”
Everything about this field hockey season has been as remarkable as it has been unexpected — for Bruins and Phillips.
A year ago, she was a back-up on the junior varsity team so just making the varsity roster was a thrill. But to be trusted with protecting the cage with first place and a Northwest Region Tournament berth at stake was practically beyond comprehension.
Yet, Phillips embraced the role she’s carved for herself and earned respect along the way. On Thursday, she deflected a penalty stroke by Audrey King over the top of the goal post with a flick of her left hand during the first overtime period and then stopped eight of nine shots during two rounds of penalty strokes as the Bruins (11-5) won a regular season tiebreaker game at Gar-Field High School.
“I was freaking out,” Phillips said. “I was back there and I thought I was going to start hyperventilating. It was freaky. I’m just glad the girls made their strokes.”
Like most teams, the Bruins rarely practice penalty strokes. As Pybus explained, “we never expect to have to use them.”
But on Thursday, after 60 minutes of scoreless regulation play and a pair of 15-minute overtimes, the game came down to strokes.
Both goalies — Phillips and Woodbridge’s Ashley Stead — were tremendous. But the Bruins scored three times in the second phase of penalty strokes (on shots by Jessica Quinta, Samantha Schottler and Lowe) and Woodbridge could only answer with one by Caroline Strand.
“Woodbridge is a very strong team, a very talented team,” Pybus said. “It will always be a battle with them.”
VOLLEYBALL
• FOREST PARK 3, FREEDOM 0: Forest Park (12-8, 9-1) defeated the Eagles 25-11, 25-17, 25-6 and plays Woodbridge on Monday at 6 p.m. at Potomac for the Cardinal District regular season title.
No individual statistics about Forest Park’s match were reported.