Thorpe's first goal propels Woodbridge to overtime field hockey upset over Forest Park

The Woodbridge Vikings kept telling each other they could do it Tuesday night. Even at their weariest, most insecure moments, one player or another provided the right words of encouragement.

And, somehow, they all found the guile to push forward — through two scoreless halves and into overtime.

This was a field hockey game the Vikings wanted dearly to win. Of course, that is true anytime they are facing Forest Park, so each passing scoreless minute only seemed to strengthen their resolve.

“We were so devoted to winning this game. You don’t understand,” senior forward Shawna Thorpe said.

It only mattered, however, that the Vikings understood.

For the first time this season, desire was backed by unyielding confidence and it resulted in a performance that will reverberate for weeks in Lake Ridge.

After playing the reigning four-time Cardinal District champions to a stalemate for 60 minutes, Woodbridge delivered the victory that could ultimately define their season — a satisfying 1-0 overtime upset that came on Thorpe’s first goal of the year.

“We were really, really nervous, but we pulled through,” she said. “We did it.”

The Vikings (3-7, 3-1) were so good that even they had trouble believing it. They’d done very little during the first three weeks to suggest that a night like this was even possible. But facing the Bruins (5-2, 3-1) seems to strike a competitive nerve.

“They played like this was a game they needed to win,” Forest Park coach Edie Pybus said. “We had so many opportunities, but Woodbridge has a strong defense.”

Not even 19 penalty corner attempts could produce a goal against the Vikings, who turned away shot after shot with resilient play from Maggie Tallman, Kelsey Fortune, Jenna Gibson and goalie Hali Haskins.

“Being my first year, I didn’t realize how big a game it is,” Woodbridge coach Alison Weckstein said. “They had a little more fire under them today. Now they know they can beat anybody.”

It helped that the Vikings came prepared.

Weckstein used a scouting report from Forest Park’s match against Gar-Field to prepare a game plan and her players executed it with near perfection.

“They’ve improved so much,” the Woodbridge coach said. “Everything they do in practice they do so well. We were just waiting for it to translate into a game situation.”

On Tuesday, it finally happened.

Despite sensational efforts from Bruins’ midfielder Raya Nickerson as well as forwards Samantha Schottler, Kim Butterfield and Melissa Fessenden, the Vikings wouldn’t yield any territory inside the circle.

“I was over here with my stomach churning the whole time,” Weckstein said. “Our defense is fabulous. I wouldn’t change them out even if they were tired.”

That’s just as well since nobody was asking to come off the field.

Thorpe was especially eager to play after missing several games because of a shin injury and a family vacation.

So she was still bursting with energy when junior midfielder Emily Baer sent the ball her way just 4 minutes, 22 seconds into overtime.

“I don’t really make goals often. It was very exhilarating,” Thorpe said. “I saw the ball coming towards me and I thought to turn around and push it into the goal. Luckily there was no one right behind me so it went right in.”

After that no words were even necessary.