In what’s becoming more routine than extraordinary, Tabb earned its fifth state championship in seven seasons Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers, led by senior midfielder Kara Enoch’s hat trick, blitzed Maggie Walker 5-1 in the Virginia High School League 4A State Final at the U.S. Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach.
The victory ended a two-year state-title drought for Tabb, which won four in a row from 2008 to 2011.
“It means a lot, especially because this group in particular has been through a lot of ups and downs,” Tabb coach Wendy Wilson said. “Just for them to persevere has been amazing.”
Tabb, who advanced to the final for the sixth time in seven seasons after downing Eastern View 3-0 in Friday’s semifinal, worked through a sluggish opening 10 minutes before creating scoring opportunities in the remainder of the half.
Enoch tallied the first of her three goals 11 minutes into the game, beating the goalkeeper with a low shot to the left post. The captain added two second-half goals and an assist to her effort.
“I wanted to leave this field knowing I put everything out there,” Enoch said. “I wanted to do it for my team, my coach. I’m so happy I could put that much in for them.”
Senior defender Courtney King capped the first-half scoring nine minutes later. After receiving the pass from a penalty corner, King whipped in a shot that worked its way through a number of deflections before finding the back of the cage.
Tabb fired 13 shots in the first half, while earning 10 penalty corners. In contrast, Maggie Walker did not record a single shot and managed one penalty corner.
The Dragons, who advanced courtesy a 1-0 win over Charlottesville, struggled to find passing lanes and maintain possession. King credited Tabb’s positioning and experience gained from the Tigers’ regional championship win over the Dragons last week for their success in effectively eliminating Maggie Walker’s attack.
“We came out here knowing kind of how they played, and I think, either way, we were ready and we knew what we wanted,” King said. “No matter what team we played, we had the confidence and determination. We were really connecting well. We love the turf a lot, and we were just there for each other — we supported each other. If one of us lost it, we always had someone going there and we just connected really well.”
Wilson echoed the sentiment, adding the regional win over Maggie Walker helped her team’s pursuit of the state title.
“I think the girls were really excited to play. The last time we played them, it was pouring down rain and there were a lot of factors beyond our control,” Wilson said. “We really wanted to step up and play our game this time.”
The second half featured much of the same, as Enoch scored her second and third goals in the opening 15 minutes. Enoch scored off a penalty corner before firing an off-balance shot with 16:38 remaining.
“Kara has done a great job of leading the team,” Wilson said of the captain. “She has wanted this since she first came to Tabb and it’s all she’s talked about. She has really helped the team play hard and step up so that they all work well together.”
Despite the hat trick and numerous accolades, Enoch directed all credit to her teammates.
“This team, in particular, is the most selfless I think I’ve ever played with,” Enoch said. “We all have one goal in mind, and that was to get the state championship back. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We played as a team, and its the best feeling in the world.”
Maggie Walker managed a goal four minutes after Enoch’s third score, as senior midfielder Eliza Bellamy found the back of the cage off an assist from senior forward Laura Fuhr. Tabb’s senior forward Brenna Langan then tallied the game’s final goal in the last two minutes of the game.
With the state title once again returning to Tabb, Wilson said the celebration is just beginning.
“This is a great group of girls,” Wilson said. “I have twelve seniors I’m extremely close with, and I just want to ride this all they way out until they graduate.”
TABB 5, MAGGIE WALKER 1
First half
Tabb-Enoch (Solaroli assist), 21:54
Tabb-King, 20:14
Second half
Tabb-Enoch (King assist), 22:12
Tabb- Enoch (Vann assist), 16:38
Maggie Walker-Bellamy (Fuhr assist), 12:25
Tabb-Langan (Enoch assist), 2:13
Totals
Tabb;Maggie Walker
Corners: 15;3
Shots: 17;2
Saves: 1;12
Cards: 0; 1 (Flores-green)
