As if playing for pride, glory and all the other intangibles were not enough for the Battlefield girls lacrosse team, head coach Jenny Tran made an outstanding offer.

After the Bobcats' 19-2 win over Osbourn in the Cedar Run District semifinals, Tran informed the girls that with any championship win - districts, regions, states - she will dye her black hair "Caitlin Hester red."

Heck, even a win over Loudoun Valley, which would likely come in a championship game, would suffice enough for the coach to model herself after the Bobcats' junior goalie

Surely an offer hard to refuse, the girls did what they could to make it a reality Friday, but once again, came up short to the No. 2-ranked team in the state, falling to the regular season and tournament-champion Vikings for the third time this season 15-6.

However, the win over Osbourn at least guaranteed Battlefield a chance to make it back to the state tournament by sending them on the road to Albemarle in the first round of the Northwest Region tournament.

Of course, making it back would require at least two wins at regions (the girls were halfway there by winning Monday and faced Osbourn Park in the semis). It's a path similar to one the Bobcats beat last year during an unlikely run to the state quarterfinals, the first state berth in program history.

Like last year, Battlefield enters the regional tournament as a distinct underdog. However, this time around, the Bobcats have a combination of experience and sound fundamentals that have put the team on a different level compared to non-Valley district opponents.

"I think our team (is) better then it's ever been," said midfielder Kim Esteban. The senior netted three goals for BHS during the Osbourn win, joining junior Morgan Clark (4 goals), junior Allie Rash (3 goals), sophomore Mary Margaret McCaleb (2 goals), senior Sydney Welch (2 goals) and junior Sara Jacobson (2 goals) as Battlefield's multiple goal scorers on the day. Jacobson and junior Sam Lilley (1 goal) led the team with three assists each.

In net, Hester stopped three out of five shots. Osbourn totaled six saves. Seniors Brandy Brode and Erin Oliver deposited the Eagles two goals during the first half.

Hester explained that prior to the start of the season, her teammates participated in summer leagues last year and were "more ready to play this whole season." Communication is something the girls have worked on too compared to the 2009 campaign, she said.

"We know more of what to say than just talking," said Hester.

According to Tran, Battlefield is defensively where it needs to be given that Hester is blocking at or above 50 percent on a consistent basis, including more than half of the 26 shots fired upon her by Loudoun Valley the last time the two teams met during the regular season.

The team's shooting percentage is high too; it's just creating enough offensive opportunities against high-caliber teams in the playoffs that is the issue for Battlefield.

For example, against LV during the season, BHS made nine out of 13 shots on goal. The only problem is they were outshot by a 2:1 clip against an extremely potent offense.

"We need to get possession," said Tran, adding that, "The fact that we played so well against Loudoun Valley, our girls know what they can do."

With preventive defense clearly being a strength for Battlefield (BHS outscored its opponents 226 to 81 during the regular season), Tran reckoned that transitioning from defense to offense with clears coming out of the backfield is a work-in-progress for the team entering the tournament.

Against low-ranked opponents, that has been a mute factor for the Bobcats, she said, but against powerhouses like Valley and Woodson, it's proven more difficult.

She said the key is "really spreading out the field."

A strength for Battlefield this season has come from team discipline. Even while being aggressively fouled by Langley, Tran recalled, "not one player on my team swung at a stick." Battlefield went on to win 8-5 in its all around lowest scoring game of the year.

"If we get checked in the head, we get right back up," said Esteban. We're not prissy (or) preppy. We're scrappy."