Consistency.

It's perhaps the defining trait of the undefeated Battlefield girls soccer team this season.

Not only that, but the ever-rising number of shutouts with multiple goals of their own has led the Bobcats (19-0-1 overall) to their first-ever Northwest Regional tournament championship victory and secured a first-round home game during the state quarterfinals.

"It's never really by design," said head coach Kevin Hilton of his team's scoring drives.

Battlefield secured the trophy Friday evening in Haymarket by toppling Heritage 4-0 on a day when Battlefield, as a school, would collect three regional titles.

Scoring came from seasoned veterans and fresh faces alike while sophomore goalie Taylor Kerxton collected three saves for the shutout win. Freshman Sydney Sisk and senior Tara Rotante dropped in goals in the first half. Freshman Colleen Gawkins and senior Kelsey Trace followed up in the second half with shots of their own.

Sisk's goal came just seconds into the game after she broke a pressure set up at the top of the Pride's offense, intercepting a pass and darting down field on a breakaway.

"She just buried it," said Hilton.

For Battlefield, the freshmen play came in huge.

While the goal from Sisk gave Battlefield early moment and Rotante's score provided the Bobcats with a comfortable lead entering half time, the Gawkins kick about five minutes into the second half on an assist by senior Aly Shaughnessy served as the deal-maker, according to Hilton.

"We really wanted to get that third goal," he said.

Defensively, the Bobcats held up by making sure its players worked well out of the backfield and transitioned quickly toward break-away center-midfielders and center-backs, according to senior defender Tessa Klumpp.

"We're a high-momentum" team, she said, with Shaughnessy adding that the Bobcats are "very strong" defensively.

The senior striker mentioned that "it was nice to play a team we had beaten three times" already, including twice during the regular season and once in the Cedar Run District tournament final.

Basically, the team knew what to expect entering the game and how critical winning up top in offensive formations would be to securing an overall victory that sends Battlefield back to states for another shot at the Group AAA which has eluded them twice so far.

"It's been our goal for the last three years," said Shaughnessy.

"Now the target's on our back," added Klumpp.