Words: Sydney Beck

The Lady Eagles Head Varsity Coach, Bethany Cunha’s motto for the 2017 season was “redemption”. Cunha wanted the girls to forget about the prior season, and come out strong as a new team. This was the beginning of redemption.

The Lady Eagles caused heads to turn going into their 2016-2017 season. The Eagles started off the season with a loss of 14-7 to Marriotts Ridge High School. They quickly regained speed and won two games back to back before meeting their defeat against Glenelg High School. Although the loss against Mount Hebron High School was nearly heart wrenching, due to such an intense game, the Eagles did not slow down.

All eyes were on the Eagles when they won their first game, against Howard High (15-12), in three years. Centennial girls varsity did not stop there.

The girls pushed through the next game against River Hill winning 15-1. Winning against River Hill put the girls in the first round of playoffs against team rival, Mount Hebron. The Eagles came for revenge, and left with just that. Breaking the never ending tie of 7-7, Marissa Lagera won the game in over time with an unbelievable eight-meter foul shot.

Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles met their demise in the second round of playoffs against Glenelg, losing the game 4-16.

Redemption was what it was.

“I couldn’t be prouder with how the season ended last year as we exceeded all expectations and set out to redeem ourselves within the county.” Cunha stated.

Going into the 2018 season, the Lady Eagles have been preparing both mentally and physically. According to Cunha, it’s all about the foundation.

“So far we have been preparing by making sure we are solid in game basics like offensive sets, midfield transition, defensive movement and clears. Once the foundation is set, we can build off those pieces.”

The 2018 season will be more challenging for the Lady Eagles, as they have been moved up into the upper tier. However, just like last year, the Eagles will rise to occasion and demand redemption, but this time, as the ‘Dark Horse’.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.