After a thrilling one-goal game in a tournament final March 30, many eagerly awaited Round 2 between Liberty and Manchester Valley girls lacrosse, one with county title implications.
While the Mavericks escaped the first meeting with the win, one thing quickly became clear: This Manchester Valley team was a step above where it was in March.
After a slow start, the Mavericks went on a dominant run, taking the lead and once again, the county championship with a 17-6 win Thursday night.
“This is one of the toughest counties in all of Maryland,” junior Emma Penczek said. “To be able to come out on top is a huge thing for us.”
Early on, the Mavericks seemed on the ropes as the Lions kept the defending Class 2A state champions on alert. Mady Smith scored the game’s first goal as she was beautifully assisted by UMBC bound Annika Wray. Wray then went on to score two goals, including one at the buzzer as the three time defending 1A state champions finished the first quarter with a 4-2 lead.
“I thought Liberty had a great game plan,” Mavericks coach Shelly Brezicki said. “They were aggressive and kept us on our toes early on.”
Needing a response, Brezecki kept it simple as she talked to her team. The one thing she wanted from her team wasn’t to make better passes or over compensate and try something extra in an attempt to slow down Wray. She simply wanted her team to play with more confidence.
“I wanted them to play to win, and not play not to lose,” she said. “We needed to get back to running our stuff and making our passes and doing the things we do best.”
With Penzcek at the helm, the offense quickly got back to looking like its normal self, scoring six straight goals after the start of the second quarter. Despite being the county’s leading goal scorer, it was the pinpoint passing of the Clemson commit on display. She drove and kicked to open teammates, or sent the ball through a sea of bodies to someone for an easy goal.
“With us, everyone’s gonna be involved whether it’s an assist, a goal or even just making room for another person to score,” Penczek, who finished with four goals and five assists, said. “We wouldn’t have any of those opportunities if one person just did one thing.”
Penzcek was joined in the scoring column by five of her teammates Thursday, most notably Taylor Fique. Fique finished with a game-high seven goals, noting how it’s her team’s ability to do everything well that separates them and opens up opportunities for dangerous weapons like herself.
“Not only are we a dominant team offensively and defensively, but we’re good at communicating and passing the ball on off the field,” she said. “It can be someone like Emma getting the ball to me, dodging and someone else making space. We can do everything.”
Not only are the Mavericks doing everything, but they are doing everything to near perfection. A starting lineup that features four freshmen and two sophomores secured its 14th on the season, extending the program’s win streak to 33 games.
And those on and around the team believe with playoffs approaching, the best from this group is still on the horizon.
“We’ve had a lot of time to grow with each other and just trust each other more,” Penczek said. “We play better because we got to bond together and become more united. That’s what we saw tonight.”
Manchester Valley – 2 2 7 6 – 17
Liberty – 4 0 2 0 –6
Goals: MV — Taylor Fique (7) ,Emma Penczek (4) Carolyn Lowe (2) ,Haylee Bittinger (2)
Emelyn Scott, Natalie Burmeister, ; L— Annika Wray (3) Maddy Smith (2), , Kourtney Goff. Assists: MV — Emma Penczek (5), Emelyn Scott, Sophie Baer, Natalie Burmeister ; L — Annika Wray, Maddy Smith .