It’s time for Warrenton soccer coach David Evans to take out the electric razor. Prior to the season, Evans vowed to shave his beard if the Warriors’ managed to earn their first-ever conference win since joining the GAC North in 2002. On Tuesday night, it finally happened. Senior night was highlighted by a 2-1 victory over Washington, snapping a nine-year winless drought in league play. “I told the girls if we get a conference win, it goes,” said Evans. “One of the girls said it looked like a rat the other day, so it’s time for it to go.” The Warriors’ four seniors can now claim to have accomplished something no other team has over the past decade. “This was the most exciting thing in my life,” quipped senior Shannon Sanders. “I wanted to cry.”  “One conference win for us is monumental,” added Evans. The suspense level reached its peak near the end of regulation, as the Blue Jays threatened to send the game into overtime on several occasions. The Warriors found themselves on edge, particularly goalie Sarah Foran. “I was just counting down the seconds,” said Foran. “It was intense.” The Warriors controlled the first half of play, especially during the first 10 minutes. They built a 2-0 lead by halftime and were forced to maintain in the final 40 minutes. Senior Laura Craven scored Warrenton’s first goal on a corner. Craven later put up a dead ball kick that was bobbled in by Sam Ollson. “Oh my gosh, it was amazing,” said Craven, of the breakthrough victory. Evans says his team backed off the offensive attack in the second half and found itself battling on the defensive end. “Washington played hard and really had a lot of offensive opportunities,” said Evans. “In the first half, we came out and played really strong defensive ball most of the time.” “I think we were just playing hectic and kicking the ball out as much as we could, so they couldn’t get any more chances on goal,” added senior Maddie Finnern. The Blue Jays managed to score with 28 minutes left in the game on a controversial goal. Foran corraled a corner kick, but the ball was stripped and booted in by a Washington player. “That second half, I think we kicked back into a defensive shell,” said Evans. “That’s not a very good mindset, because the more you possess the ball, the less chance the other team has to score.” For the remainder of the game, the Blue Jays had several more open looks at the goal, but Foran was able to make the necessary stops. Despite her experience in close contests, she admits being nervous in the closing moments. “I was scared, honestly,” said Foran. “Because I knew if I came out, and they just toe-poked it, it was going in. I was just praying for my defense to get back, because I did not know what to do.” Evans credits his team for executing its gameplan and not breaking down during crucial moments. “Tonight the girls did a lot of things we practiced,” said Evans. “They played good defense. They rotated around. We were on defense quite a bit and had some offensive breaks that resulted in our goals.”