As the pass arced gracefully from one end of the field to the other, Broadneck girls lacrosse coach Katy Kelley wondered if this would be it — not only the tie-breaking goal in double overtime of the county championship game, but the cure for its Severna Park curse.
“I saw Katelyn Kearns get it and go to her warp speed and thought, ‘I don’t know! Maybe she’ll get it!’” Kelley said.
Kearns sped toward sophomore Nora Lopes instead. But as she locked onto the midfielder, so did a flock of Severna Park defenders.
On any other day, against any other team, around any lesser shooter, the Falcons’ physical defense might’ve stopped the play. But Lopes managed to load her shot into her left hand. Few could stop her then.
The game-winning goal nestled in the open patch of net above goalkeeper Lucy Davis, delivering at last the victory the Bruins had been hunting for against their rivals for years, a 6-5 double overtime county championship triumph.
“Pure happiness rushed through me. This team has been working so hard for this,” Lopes said. “I knew I had to play for the seniors, give it my all and rip a hard shot.”
Broadneck last defeated Severna Park in 2021. The pandemic pushed back the spring season and Anne Arundel officials chose not to hold county championships that year.
Since, Severna Park’s pinned at least two gutting losses per year on its rivals. With each loss, and especially the most recent, the Bruins focused inward on strengthening their skills and their bonds. As players in black and maroon leapt into each other’s arms, it was the cinematic moment ending a long comeback story.
Kelley presented her screaming squad with the program’s first county title in 11 years. She’s not sure what finally pushed them past their nemesis, but something clicked.
“Even when it was tied, they were finally in this game, believing they could actually beat that team,” she said.
The Bruins executed their final sequence perfectly: Ceci Facciponti to Faith Everett to keeper Molly Robison, who ran about 30 yards to meet Kearns. It should’ve been flawless, considering how often they drilled it. Severna Park haunted their shooters relentlessly all night; the best way to thwart them was to take them completely out of the equation.
But it was characteristic of the Bruins all night. Broadneck disrupted Severna Park’s patterns early. Facciponti pulled draw wins or quickly forced turnovers after. Players like defender Nya Williams scooped ground balls before the Falcons could. The Bruins knew they had to be aggressive without fouling, something Severna Park, which suffered a fourth yellow card in overtime, did not.
“If Nya can mark someone like Maria Bragg, that says something right?” Kelley said. “And being anchored by Molly helps too. She played lights out tonight and that momentum helped bring the talent of our defense together, not let them be intimidated.”
Robison stopped shots that were surefire goals in any other game.
Allowing Peyton Jeffers’ triple overtime shot last month still twisted in the Broadneck goalkeeper’s mind. She couldn’t help but carry that ghost into Monday’s game.
“We’ve always been thinking about it,” Robison said. “We’ve been practicing things they tend to do, shots they take – just everything.”
She amassed 11 saves, including two that stymied the Falcons’ attempts to take a 5-4 lead in the second half. Then, with the game tied at 5 in the fourth, Bella Van Gieson – who notched an overtime game-winner against South River two weeks ago – launched a hard punch to the net in the final minutes. Robison absorbed that, too.
Severna Park senior Erin Hussey earned the luckiest break possible with 2.8 seconds on the clock: a whistle granting her a free position. Instead, the typically pin-accurate shooter overshot it and the horn sounded. The same happened late in the first overtime.
Fortune fled Severna Park in overtime. Robison stuffed a potential goal, but the officials deemed the shot dangerous.
A fourth yellow card put Severna Park down a player for the rest of play. Broadneck suffered the same punishment last time. Just another monkey off the back.
“I’ve lost to Severna Park more than I’ve won,” Kelley said. “To see my girls come together like this is a pinnacle moment as a coach.”
BROADNECK — 1 3 1 0 0 1 — 6
SEVERNA PARK — 2 2 0 1 0 0 — 5
GOALS — BN: Nora Lopes 3, Sienna Miller 2, Avery Katzen 1; SP: Erin Hussey 2, Maria Bragg 2, Molly Koistinen 1
ASSISTS — BN: Ceci Facciponti 1, Katelyn Kearns 1
SAVES — BN: Molly Robison 11; SP: Lucy Davis 7
Have a sports tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.