By Dave Utnik for News & Messenger/InsideNova.com (Photo by John Boal)The field finally opened up just the way Brittany Klippstein prefers it. The Northern Virginia Majestics Super 20 midfielder had the ball in her possession and about 30 yards of leg room to work with.
She was right in her comfort zone.
Klippstein has been lining up long-distance shots since her days as an all-state performer at West Springfield High School and she didn’t pass up the opportunity on Wednesday by looping a well-timed blast just underneath the crossbar to finish off the Majestics’ 3-1 victory over NOVA FC at Hellwig Park.
"I hadn’t really gotten a chance to shoot the whole game," she said. "I shoot better from farther out than close in."
And that makes midfield the perfect position for Klippstein, a rising sophomore at Lynchburg College who combined for 11 goals and three assists last fall as the Hornets went 21-1-3 and reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
In her first season with the Majestics U20 squad, Klippstein has earned a well-deserved reputation for her ability to put the ball exactly where it’s needed—whether it’s a pass to one of the team’s athletic forwards or a blast from 30 yards out.
Four games into the travel season, the Majestics are clearly benefiting from her versatility. They are undefeated and in first place in the South Atlantic Division, having scored 14 goals while allowing only three.
And, on rare occasions like Wednesday when the Majestics actually had to come from behind to win, Klippstein is usually right in the middle of the rally.
"We don’t usually let goals in," she said. "I think it just made us work harder."
Osbourn Park’s Kelly Clark provided the inspiration this time when she finished off a corner kick by Forest Park senior Denesha Soto to give NOVA FC a 1-0 lead.
Woodbridge’s Shondel Archer set up Grace Rieman for the Majestics first goal and then former Hylton star Crissy Parker punched the game-winner off the goalie’s left hand with one minute left in the first half.
"As the games go on and we get to know each other more, we’re getting better," said Rieman, a rising freshman at Grove City College who is in her second season with the Majestics.
"That first goal kind of got the momentum started," she said. "It was a great ball by Shondel. I didn’t really have to do very much. It was just there."
At 4-0, the Majestics have developed just the right chemistry to make a run at a division title and a berth in the national championship tournament in Chicago.
"We’re on the road for going to nationals," Parker said. "That would be the best opportunity ever because I’ve never been there.
"I’ve played with the Majestics since I was 13 or 14 and never made it to nationals so I’m really excited because this is the one year we have a really good chance."
