From late in the second quarter to midway through the fourth, Severna Park girls lacrosse had everything going its way – ground balls, draws and most importantly, goals. Another Class 3A state title was in its sight.
Then, an official pinned a yellow card Maria Bragg.
Losing arguably the best two-way player on the field with six minutes to go would’ve hurt enough. But considering what Severna Park had already lost, it was a dagger in the heart.
Marriotts Ridge scored twice in those two minutes, firing the tying goal with power play time to spare. The Mustangs rode that momentum to score the game-winner and take the crown, 11-10. The Falcons sought their third consecutive Class 3A state title, which would have extended the program’s Maryland high school state record to 17.
Emotion took hold of coach Annie Houghton afterward, not because her Falcons lost, but because of how they fought back against the odds.
“For all we went through in a state championship game, I’m so proud,” Houghton said. “You always want to win. It doesn’t always happen that way. But they kept going.”
Numbers were even when Marriotts Ridge broke past Severna Park with 3:20 to play. It’s difficult to know whether that goal would’ve happened at all, let alone capped off a string of three, if bad fortune hadn’t cut the Falcons so deeply to begin with.
The Falcons aren’t short of capable defenders, but losing one of its most tenacious, Avery Saviano, to a two-yellow card elimination in the first nine minutes dealt a blow, with so little room to give against an evenly-matched team. The Mustangs netted four goals in man-up periods and outscored Severna Park 6-3 on free positions.
The second black cat crossed the Falcons in the second quarter. Midfielder Bella Van Gieson battled to find space against a crowd of defenders when she slipped. Her knee buckled as she fell and was attended to for several minutes. Severna Park unfortunately knew what that meant. She did not return.
Two seniors — vital components of the Severna Park machine — gone before the first half was even through. Van Gieson plugged up the draw on the wing and was the third-leading draw control specialist (39). She was a reliable scorer in clutch moments, like when she netted the winning goal against South River in double overtime on April 23. Saviano played more minutes than any other girl on the team (840) going into Wednesday’s tilt and was second only to Bragg in caused turnovers (27).
“Those two give so much to us, on and off the field,” senior Payton Jeffers said. “It was time to give back to them.”
Midfielder Ava Deegan scored the 8-meter shot on Van Gieson’s behalf. Other than that goal, though, Severna Park radiated stress over the next few minutes. It revered patience on attack all season, but here, rushed shots ricocheted off the top bar or bounced out of bounds.
It would’ve been understandable if the Falcons never fully recovered from the seemingly nonstop shocks. But they sure seemed to.
“We gathered together and said it’s next man up,” senior Erin Hussey said. “Someone else has to step up, whether you’re a starter or off the bench. Make an impact.”
Trailing by three goals in a fairly quick fashion, the Falcons settled their panic. They slowed down their movements. Keeper Lucy Davis robbed Marriotts Ridge of a goal. Junior Gracie Ciuba weaved through a thicket of Mustangs to get within 7-5. Fresh into a Marriotts Ridge yellow card, Hussey looped a quick dish to Jeffers to score.
And no one stopped Bragg when she expertly threaded a trio of defenders to tie it up at 7 before halftime.
“We went into halftime just saying: ‘Stay focused on our lacrosse,’” Houghton said. “Play for your teammates.”
They exploded into the second half with four draw wins leading to a 10-8 advantage at the end of the third. Bragg and Hussey showed off their trademark speed, agility and ruthlessness in pursuit of their goals. The Severna Park defense smothered the Mustangs. But freshman keeper Shannen Krozy started doing the same to the Falcons.
In the final moments, that mattered.
After Bragg’s penalty and the Mustangs’ go-ahead score, Severna Park had three minutes to fight back, so long as it won the next draw control.
But it was not to be.
A violation at the draw circle granted the Mustangs the final possession it needed to play keep away until the horn sounded. It wasted as much clock as it could before Severna Park forced a turnover. Deegan fired a direct shot, but right into Krozy’s pocket.
Soon after, time ran out.
“Not everyone gets to make it here. We don’t take it for granted,” Hussey said. “You have to fight for your spot here and for a win, and only one team goes home with it.”
Have a sports tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.
