Two days after being upset by Chantilly in the Concorde District championship, Centreville's girls lacrosse team decided to use that loss as a wake-up call heading into the Northern Region Tournament.

The Wildcats didn't have an easy task, going on the road to face a Fairfax team that had lost just twice all season, but they responded in style.

Centreville jumped on top of the Rebels early, a rarity for the team this season, and took control of the contest midway through the second half on the way to a, 10-7, victory.

The Wildcats advance to play Robinson in the quarterfinals while Fairfax ends its season at 11-3, also losing twice to W.T. Woodson.

In the boys game that followed, Fairfax saw a four-goal first half lead evaporate before responding in the second half with a strong defensive effort to eliminate Westfield, 13-10, and advance to the quarterfinals against Robinson, a No. 1 seed from the Patriot District.

Centreville's girls showed no hangover from the Chantilly loss, the first time it had lost to the Chargers in program history.

``We really wanted to make sure that we put that game in the past," Wildcat sophomore goalie Jill Malm said. ``Coach [Michelle Maxwell-Gold] just told us to concentrate on it as a new game and a new tournament. It was a one-game season and we came out really psyched to play them."

Centreville has often started games slowly this season, falling behind before rallying. It cost the team against Chantilly, but this time they were ready, scoring the first two goals in less than two minutes and leading 6-3 at the half.

Fairfax managed a comeback of its own in the second half, scoring three goals in a row. Centreville kept its composure after a timeout, however, and seniors Michelle LaForce (two goals) and Jenn Malm (three goals) tallied in a two-minute stretch to make it an 8-6 game. Fairfax made a late charge after falling behind, 10-7, but Jill Malm was strong down the stretch, stopping several good Fairfax chances as the Wildcats held on for the win.

``We want to do as well as we did last year," Jill Malm said of her team, which has won two consecutive unofficial state titles. ``We knew we had to win this game so we decided to kick it into gear."

The Fairfax boys were led by Mark Miller, who scored a hat trick, and goalie Dan Benson, who has been named a lacrosse All-American and was a first-team All-Region selection along with teammate Sean Kane. Kane scored twice and added two assists.

The Bulldogs trailed, 6-2, before making a nice comeback at the end of the first half. A turnover at midfield led to a goal by Westfield senior Adam Gift (three goals) that tied the game at 7.

Fairfax came out strong to start the third quarter, however, scoring the first three goals of the half to take a 10-7 lead. Westfield never got closer than two goals after that point.