2025 WCAC Champion Field Hockey

Amaya Katherine Kohli, Feature Editor (Class of 2028)

O’Connell Varsity Field Hockey: Your 2025 WCAC Champs

Varsity field hockey took home the WCAC Championship title on Nov. 2, ending St. John’s four year winning streak. With just 2 minutes and 54 seconds left on the clock, sophomore Ysens Mason scored the game-winning goal, clinching the trophy for O’Connell for the first time in school history.

“I was so so nervous going into the finals,” said sophomore Lena Sullivan, a varsity forward. “Even though we lost [to St. John’s] 2-0 in the regular season, I had full faith we could win.”

The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Championship finals were a defensive showdown, with goalie Sophia Lianos locking down the net for all four quarters, securing O’Connell a clean sheet and hitting a milestone of ten shutouts in her junior season. Lianos broke the school record for most shutouts in doing so, as until this year she’d shared the record with former titleholder Carla Magaña (Class of 2025).

Thanks to Lianos’ history-making performance, Mason’s goal was the only one scored in the entire game, settling the final outcome to 1-0. Sophomore Lizzie Guy had the assist, helping lead the team to victory.

“The season in one word would be ‘climb,’” said Sullivan. “The team’s favorite song is The Climb by Miley Cyrus [and] we worked very hard.” 

That climb continued into the playoffs, where the Knights’ defense didn’t allow a single goal scored against them.

In the first round of the WCAC championship, O’Connell wiped Holy Cross out 5-0. Senior Caitlin Musolino scored twice in the quarterfinals, with the other three goals made by Sullivan, Guy, and junior Anelia Warner. Notably, Mason had three assists in this game, helping her set a new single-season assists record with 18.

The following round was no different, with the “Knight Train” defeating St. Paul VI at home in the semifinals 3-0. 

In addition to Lianos and Mason’s achievements, 2025 has been a record-breaking year for DJO field hockey. The cumulative 10 shutouts and 68 goals achieved by this year’s team were O’Connell bests. Sullivan set new school records for both most goals in a season and most career goals.

The girls fought just as hard in the regular season, taking down several of the region’s top-ranking teams, including intimidating Virginia public schools - such as Woodson, Mclean, Robinson, South Country, and Tabb - and even out-of-state teams like Annapolis (Md.), Episcopal (Texas), and Moorestown (N.J.).

In their opening game, Bishop O’Connell lost 5-2, but those two goals were the most scored against York County’s Tabb High School in any matchup this year. After the loss, the Knights flipped it around and won four straight games. One of O’Connell’s several notable wins this season was vs. Collegiate, which finished second overall in the Virginia Private School (VISAA) state tournament.

The team’s schedule this year was tough and challenging, testing them from the preseason into the championships. The future of the program looks bright and promising.