ASHBURN — Cox blanked Beach rival First Colonial 2-0 Saturday to win the program’s first VHSL Class 5 field hockey state championship since 2022.
Following the game, an emotional Cox coach Taylor Rountree attempted to put into words what it meant to her to win the program’s 25th state championship overall.
“I’m just really, really proud of this team,” Rountree said. “Their goal was to be region champions, and I said at the beginning of the year, ‘That’s crazy. You guys are state champions.’ ”
Cox fell to First Colonial in the Region A championship game just over two weeks ago to close
out October, but the Falcons rallied against the Patriots this weekend, avenging that loss which
according to Rountree, ended up being pivotal to the team’s success throughout the rest of the
season.
“Obviously, we didn’t win the regional title to a very talented First Colonial team, who I had a feeling we would see on the back end,” Rountree said. “But that loss changed the way that we
played, changed our team. It taught us how to play on field turf; we don’t have it. But going into
those environments at Nansemond and Riverbend, those experiences were tenfold for us today.”
Throughout the game, First Colonial did not garner any penalty corner opportunities, whereas Cox tallied 16. This discrepancy in goal-scoring looks only further cemented the Falcons’ championship-winning efforts.
Just before the end of the first period, the Falcons struck first, going up 1-0 thanks to a goal from
Mikaela Quinn.
Cox’s Campbell Wright, left, Lilly Schrott, back middle, and Atalee Booth, right, celebrate after scoring their second goal against First Colonial in the Class 5 state championship game. (Mike Caudill/For The Virginian-Pilot)
After a scoreless second period, just over five minutes into the third frame, Cox reached the back
of the net for the second and final time of the game — this time, Bella Glenn finding Ava Amuial
for the score.
Cox came into play with 24 state championships, and after a two-year drought, Rountree found it fitting that her squad won the 25th title in the year 2025.
“I told them, ‘everything happens for a reason,’ ” Rountree said. “It just feels right to win the
25th in 2025. So I feel like we’re back in balance now.”
This is just the most recent wrinkle in a storied history between these two Virginia Beach programs, which play each other more than once every season.
Thus, next season’s matchups in 2026 should prove hotly contested given the Falcons will now
enter play with some new hardware to their name.
