Northern Virginia Majestics defense shines, holds Tampa Bay to a draw

Mary Casey kept shouting out instructions from in front of the net Sunday afternoon and the Northern Virginia Majestics complied.
 
They dropped back into double teams, denied crossing passes and essentially refused to let the highest scoring team in the Atlantic Division develop any type of offensive momentum.
 
All four defenders—Brittain Maas, Corinna Strickland, Colleen Deegan and Megan Watson—maneuvered in perfect harmony at Hellwig Memorial Park. And for the first time since May 16, the Tampa Bay Hellenic failed to score a goal.
 
"Honestly, we havde a lot of communication, mostly from Mary Casey. She just commands back there," Watson said. "We just listen to what she says and we work off each other."
 
The Majestics, who have relied all season on a resilient defense that also features 20-year-old midfielder Brittany Lane, switched from their traditional three-defender set to counter Tampa Bay\'s quick attack and secured a satisfying 0-0 tie that could wind up denying the Hellenic a W-League playoff spot.
 
"We can\'t really do much else, I guess, so that was kind of our goal to knock them off," Watson said.
 
The playoffs aren\'t part of the Majestics\' plans this season. They are rebuilding with a group of young players and expect to contend next summer. But there was a certain amount of satisfaction in playing 90 even minutes with the division leaders.
 
Tampa Bay, which wrapped up the regular season by playing consecutive games in Hampton Roads, Richmond and Woodbridge, has scored 24 goals—the most of any team in the Atlantic Division.
 
Led by Silver Spring\'s Sarah Chapman, a rising sophomore at the University of Florida who has four goals and one assist, the Hellenic (8-1-3) arrived in town with a six-match winning streak. But after scoring four goals against the Richmond Kickers Destiny on Saturday, they couldn\'t slip any-thing past the Majestics.
 
"We have good chemistry in the back. I\'ve played with Megan and Mary in college so we\'re really learning how each other plays," said Deegan, who led Westfield High School in scoring for three consecutive seasons before developing into a star defender at the University of Maryland.
 
The Majestics (1-9-1) have now allowed 18 goals in 11 matches—an average of 1.6 per game—and Casey is responsible for both of the squad\'s point-scoring efforts, earning a 2-1 victory over Richmond and the team\'s first shutout on Sunday.
 
"It was exciting to get a point and to get a shutout against them," Deegan said. "It was the first shutout of the season for the defense so it\'s something to be proud of against the first-place team."
 
The draw nudges the Majestics out of the Atlantic Division cellar and into sixth place, barely beating out Richmond by goal differential.  Of greater significance, the tie allows the Atlanta Silverbacks an easier chance to win the Atlantic Division title.  Atlanta can now clinch the division with a win in either of their two remaining games.