Whitney Church, Luiz Cartagena headline Washington Post’s 2011 Spring All-Met selections

The Washington Post has named its 2011 Spring All-Met athletes, and Northern Virginia’s powerhouse programs are well-represented among the newspaper’s Girls’ and Boys’ soccer honorees.

Whitney Church, a senior at Ashburn’s Broad Run High School, earned Player of the Year honors on the girls’ side, while Gar-Field Senior High School senior Luiz Cartagena took the top spot among boys for his sterling season at the Prince William County school.

A skillful midfielder who can create as well as score goals, Church has played a major role in Broad Run’s dominance at both the local and state levels over the past several years and will continue her career at Penn State University. Cartagena notched 18 goals and three assists this season after missing his junior campaign due to a knee injury, even as opposing teams went to great lengths to minimize the tricky striker’s impact. He intends to explore professional opportunities after graduation.

Another worthy honoree was Sean Lanigan, the Herndon High School coach who suffered through a nightmarish 2010 after being falsely accused of molestation by a disgruntled elementary school student. The ordeal temporarily forced him away from his coaching duties at HHS but he returned with a flourish, leading the Hornets to a 14-2-1 record that helped him earn a second Coach of the Year nod.

North Stafford High School saw two of its players named to the Boys’ All-Met first team, one to the second team and two on the honorable mention list, while the successes of the women’s squad at Loudoun’s Stone Bridge High School were recognized with a whopping three representatives on the Girls’ All-Met first team.