The anticipation had been building for 90 minutes Saturday night. With each shot on goal, the Northern Virginia Majestics could sense that they were finally going to be rewarded for all of their hustle and tenacity.

 

Nothing has come easily for the Majestics’ offense during the first month of the W-League season. But something unusual was happening on the turf field at George Mason University.

 

A new formation that featured two forwards up front instead of one produced a rhythm and a swagger that suggested this would be a night to remember.

 

“It was just a matter if time before we got that spark to get it in the back of the net,” forward Ashley Johnson said.

 

The Majestics have waited a mighty long time for that — six matches dating back to last summer — so every near miss against the Hampton Roads Piranhas brought with it a familiar exasperation as well as newfound expectations.

 

Until Johnson settled a crossing pass from teammate Kimmy Moss in the 90th minute and unleashed a shot toward the left post.

 

A sequence that began with the Majestics’ ninth penalty corner of the game ended with a long-awaited celebration and a 1-0 victory — the team’s first of the season.

 

“I kind of had a feeling because I saw the goal keeper reaching for it and she wasn’t quite there. It was pretty exciting,” Johnson said. “My first thought was, ‘We’re going to win. We’re finally going to win.’

“We’ve lost so many games and we were finally going to win one. I was very happy with myself.”

 

Just imagine how her teammates felt as they celebrated the Majestics’ first goal since July 10, 2009.

 

In the split second that it took for the ball to curl out of the reach of Hampton Roads goalie Vicky Johnson and into the back of the net, a gigantic invisible cloak of frustration was lifted and the Majestics were finally able to appreciate all the relentless work they’ve put in during practice.

 

“We needed this,” head coach Jac Cicala said. “Psychologically, we needed this. We just haven’t been able to find the net so this took a lot of pressure off us today.”

 

The Majestics scored only three goals last summer during a 1-10-1 season and they’d already gone three games without a goal — or a win — this season.

 

But signs of a breakthrough have been evident for several weeks.

 

Since losing 5-0 in Tampa Bay to open the season, the Majestics have improved with each contest. They held the defending Atlantic Division champion Atlanta Silverbacks to one goal in their home opener and allowed one in a loss last weekend in Hampton Roads.

 

The defense — this time led by Corinna Strickland, Brittain Maas, Colleen Deegan and Samara Stephens-Dowd — earned its first shutout on Saturday and a new 4-4-2 offensive alignment created 14 shots on goal.

 

“It was a good middle third to attacking third build-up and we kept possession, which was nice to see,” Cicala said.

 

The Majestics came close to scoring on several occasions as Woodbridge High School senior Kristen Lybert continuously won possession at midfield and nearly slipped one underneath the crossbar in the 87th minute.

 

Jasmine Riley had a team-high five shots on goal, while Lisa DuCote and Johnson combined for three each.

 

“We changed the system a little bit,” said Cicala, acknowledging the Majestics’ switch to a two-forward attack. “We did it in the second half of the [game at Hampton Roads] and I think we’re going to stay with it.”

 

Northern Virginia travels to Hampton Roads next weekend for a third rematch against the Piranhas. The Majestics return home in three weeks on Saturday, July 3rd, to face the Charlotte Lady Eagels at Hellwig Memorial Park in Manassas, Virginia. Match time is scheduled for 7:00PM.