Despite stepped up offensive efforts in the second half, the Northern Virginia Majestics failed to find the net and dropped a 1-0 result to the Hampton Roads Piranhas Saturday night in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Hampton Roads forward Kara Cooper scored the only goal of the contest to give the home team Piranhas the narrow victory.
As they demonstrated last week, the Northern Virginia defense held firm for the majority of the match. Faced with a creative Hampton Roads attack, the Majestics backline maintained a sturdy presence throughout the much of the full 90 minutes. Although Hampton Roads recorded 16 shots on the night, the majority were non-threatening, either contained by the defense or easily snagged by Majestic keeper Kelsey Quinn.
The ultimate game-winner game for the home-side came in the 29th minute when Cooper received a pass from fellow Piranha Rachel Gerdin near the top of the box. Following a nifty spin that eluded a sliding Majestic defender, the Hampton Roads forward flicked a shot over the charging keeper Quinn to grab the lead for the Piranhas.
Northern Virginia came alive offensively late in the second half, desperate to find a way to score the equalizer. Majestic forward Jessica Frech seemed destined to do just that when she broke free on goal in the 63rd minute. However her shot was denied by a tremendous save from substitute Piranha goalkeeper Whitney Beverly.
The final moments of the game also featured two near chances from the visiting Majestics. Northern Virginia midfielder Kelly Johnson, called up to the squad from the Super 20 team, rifled two separate shots in as many minutes requiring agile saves from keeper Beverly to earn the win.
The Majestics’ scoring drought continues as Northern Virginia has not scored a goal in five games. The last Majestic goal was scored on July 10th of the 2009 season.
The Majestics return home next week on Saturday, June 12th, for a rematch with Hampton Roads at George Mason University Turf Field in Fairfax, Virginia. Match time is scheduled for 5:30PM. Immediately following, the Northern Virginia Royals face the Central Jersey Spartans in the second game of the doubleheader.
