June 5, 2026
By Alexandria Reds
ARLINGTON, Va. — It was a classic, grueling DMV summer clash. Battling 90-degree heat on the turf at Washington-Liberty High School, the Alexandria Reds showcased remarkable resilience and attacking flair to secure a hard-fought 2-1 away victory over Arlington SA Friday night.
Powered by a first-half brace from forward Gabriella Garcia-Terrell, and a resolute defensive effort in the second half, the Reds earned a massive three points, demonstrating exactly what happens when the squad’s training ground intensity translates to matchday.
The Reds set the tone from the opening whistle. Dominating the early exchanges, Alexandria continuously threatened the Arlington goal, starting with an early left-footed strike from Allison Gardner that required a sharp save. The breakthrough finally arrived midway through the first half. Gardner found space on the left flank, beat her defender, and slotted a perfect pass to a wide-open Garcia-Terrell at the top of the box. With a composed touch, Garcia-Terrell buried it into the side netting to give the Reds a deserved 1-0 lead.
"It was my second game back from college, so I was a little nervous, but I went into the game ready to make a statement," Garcia-Terrell said. "On the first goal, it was a beautiful cross from Ali. I took a touch and just powered it into the bottom right."
Moments later, the Gardner-to-Garcia-Terrell connection struck again to double the lead. Gardner carried the ball up the pitch on a brilliant counterattack, eventually finding Garcia-Terrell on the right side.
"I was one-on-one down the line with the center back, and I knew she was very athletic, so I couldn't be predictable," Garcia-Terrell said. "I did a little fake cut inside, and then just powered it bottom right again. It felt really good getting that confidence back and scoring two goals."
Reds’ Head Coach Christy Monroy Bravo was quick to highlight the collective tactical execution that created those opportunities.
"Gabby obviously stood out today, and Ali had awesome creation on her part with the two assists. But our team effort, especially through our whole midfield—starters and substitutes—was incredible. Their ability to keep the ball and find our wingers, especially in transition moments, was really helpful. I give great kudos to all of our midfielders for that."
Entering halftime with a 2-0 advantage, the Reds knew a physical response was coming. Arlington came out of the break with intense pressure, dominating possession. In the 70th minute, the hosts broke through, scoring on a header from the penalty spot to cut the deficit to 2-1.
For the final twenty minutes, Alexandria was tasked with defending their slim lead against waves of Arlington attacks. The squad put in a terrific shift, denying space on the wings and staying incredibly disciplined in front of goal to see out the result.
"We anticipated at halftime that Arlington was going to come out very intense," Monroy Bravo said. "The girls knew there was going to be a lot of defending involved in the second half. I think they did a great job really pushing each other along, giving instructions about who needed to step, when we needed to step, and why. They were self-solving things on the pitch."
Ultimately, the match served as a testament to the club's growing chemistry and culture.
"The effort overall from the group today was fantastic—probably the best showing that we've had so far," Monroy Bravo said. "Everyone who came in off the bench kept the intensity really high. The level didn't drop at all, which allowed us to sustain a really productive 90 minutes. Seeing that when they all work cohesively as a team we can produce a really good product gives great energy moving forward."
The Reds will look to carry this massive wave of momentum into their next matchup on Friday, June 12, as they hit the road again to face St. James FC.
