Glenelg field hockey plays with great cohesion and a collective trust in one another. That connectivity is a byproduct of the eighth-ranked Gladiators returning all but two of their starters from last year’s Class 2A finalist team.
Tuesday night hosting seventh-ranked Broadneck, last year’s 4A state runner-up, that chemistry stood out and was the driving force in the Gladiators’ commanding 6-0 win.
“It’s wonderful,” Glenelg coach Martie Dyer said of the returners. “But still, even when you put two more people in the mix, they have to all learn the system and everything. We were able to have the practices this summer, and we were ready to go.”
While Glenelg returned the bulk of its team, the Gladiators graduated 2024 Howard County Player of the Year Brinkley Eyre. Now playing at the University of Maryland, she set the state’s single-season goals record with 59. In her absence, the Gladiators’ have adopted a more balanced offensive approach with a plethora of offensive threats. Glenelg had eight different goal scorers in its season-opening win over Reservoir and continued that trend with four different players scoring Tuesday against the Bruins.
Senior Lexi Winters and junior Kareena Blackwell led the way with two goals each as the Gladiators were consistently crisp and efficient with their passes.
“I think it’s really good because we’ve been working together in practices to connect our passes,” Winters said of the cohesion. “We’ve been working really well as a team and we communicate during practices. I think we read each other really well and with our new players coming in, they’re a really big help to our team.”
Glenelg isn’t looking to get always get one player the ball, rather the Gladiators are empowering one another to put a shot on net when they see an opening. Their approach yielded great success Tuesday, particularly in the opening six minutes with a pair of goals. Cate Staley opened the scoring on a deflection from Meghan Walker, while Staley set up Blackwell on a similar play just a few minutes later.
Glenelg maintained its offensive onslaught in the second quarter. However, Broadneck junior goalkeeper Trish Maloney was a brick wall, stopping eight shots in the frame to keep the Bruins within striking distance. However, she could only limit the Gladiators’ offense for so long as Blackwell added onto the lead early in the third.
On a sequence eerily similar to the first two goals, Blackwell found a crease in the middle and buried the shot on a feed from Walker. Blackwell’s success on those types of plays epitomized her quick integration into the team. Through two games, she has three goals and has developed into another reliable offensive weapon for the Gladiators. She attributed that fast success to strong communication on and off the field as she better understands her teammates tendencies and positioning.
While Glenelg’s offense was firing on all cylinders, the defense stifled the Bruins throughout. Broadneck generated just six shots on goal and was unable to solve either Glenelg goalie, Trinity Shackelford or Stella Clark. The Gladiators’ quick decision-making and transitions up the field made it challenging for the Bruins to find an offensive flow.
Tuesday evening, the Gladiators passed one of their toughest tests of the regular season with flying colors. Glenelg isn’t a stranger to facing challenging opponents as the Gladiators scrimmaged top-ranked Bryn Mawr prior to the season and will face third-ranked Notre Dame Prep on Sept. 15.
Those contests serve as a great litmus test with the Gladiators pushing toward their ultimate goal of a fifth straight state final appearance and fourth state title in that span. To do that, consistency and communication is key.
“I think it’s really beneficial to play some harder teams because it makes us work on our defense, as well as perfecting the offense, especially during the playoffs,” Blackwell said. “I feel like this was a really big win, because I’ve heard Broadneck is a pretty tough team, especially in past years. So, it gives me a lot of hope for the postseason and later in the season.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
