Before St. Mary’s field hockey players hoisted their second Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference trophy in two years via a 2-1 victory, they had to wander into the woods.
As the C Conference championship teams finished up their warmups — 2 1/2 hours before the Saints’ competition time — St. Mary’s shuffled into Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium and disappeared.
“Hair,” was all Zarchin would say. “Takes forever.”
About an hour later, the Saints filed out of the school’s athletic facilities and marched in a line toward a wooden bridge at the edge of the athletic property and vanished again within the trees. They reflected on everything they’d felt grateful for this season, and in each other.
“The second time [title] is harder. It’s stressful,” sophomore Ava Boland (one goal) said. “But in the end, it was pure happiness.”
St. Mary’s swept aside every B Conference team it faced in 2024, just as it did in 2023. Whereas some of its contests were a bit closer last fall, the Saints (13-4-1, 11-0 conference) shut out every league opponent but one — McDonogh, on Oct. 9. Still, creeping in the back of their minds as they rode the bus from Annapolis to Owings Mills was the suspicion that John Carroll (12-6-1) would not allow another clean sheet, as they had on Sept. 18 (3-0) and Oct. 16 (2-0).
The Patriots proved them right.
Seven minutes into the third quarter, John Carroll senior Annie Minoglio slipped past the St. Mary’s defense from the right side of the cage and scored.
St. Mary’s could’ve lost their composure. But it was a pretty good thing the Saints spent all that time in the woods.
They’d packed their nonconference schedule with another sort of dark woods, so to speak, heavyweights such as Broadneck, Severna Park, Garrison Forest, Crofton and Archbishop Spalding.
“We did that intentionally so we could get ourselves through a game like this. It proved to be in our favor,” Zarchin said. “Our kids know how to rebound.”
The Saints peppered close calls upon John Carroll’s doorstep, including a shot from senior Blair Bernard that she plucked off Patriots goalkeeper Josie Bianco’s kneepads. The forward sniped into open space and would’ve hit the back of the cage had John Carroll midfielder Savannah Kishis not flung herself in to pick it.
On the fifth St. Mary’s corner of the fourth quarter, Saints junior Addy Drain loaded a good ball on her stick just for a Patriot to tackle her. Drain’s ball went skittering left, a potential free-for-all, had Saints junior Abigail Thompson not leapt forward.
“I was just getting ready for the ball to come to me,” she said, “to make sure I could put it in.”
John Carroll had no time to react before Thompson fired and celebrated her go-ahead goal with her teammates.
“I was just trying to shove it in the corner after that,” Boland laughed.
John Carroll threatened St. Mary’s as often as the reverse, especially after its first goal. Its attacks couldn’t fool Saints like sophomore Paige Heary.
“Not only did she come up with the ball redefending,” Zarchin said. “She turned the ball around and got us attacking the field. It was the difference maker.”
Two consecutive titles after two straight unbeaten conference seasons is more than enough evidence to promote the Saints back to the A Conference. A single title in 2018 had earned them a spot in the top tier until 2022.
But in those years, the program’s record stumbled. The Saints mustered only four conference wins in 2021 and lost in the first round of the 2022 postseason.
So, Zarchin isn’t just putting records and titles on her team’s resume.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the core group you have,” Zarchin said, “and the way we look in the next two years? We have a good crew that’ll be around.”
The Saints led A Conference semifinalist and 2023 champion Garrison Forest by three goals on Sept. 13 before ultimately settling for a tie.
“It showed us we can do it. When we do move up, our kids know that’s something we can manage,” Zarchin said. “We can play these teams and give them a good game.”
St. Mary’s — 0 1 0 1 — 2
John Carroll — 0 0 1 0 — 1
Goals: SM — Ava Boland 1, Abigail Thompson 1; JC — Annie Minoglio 1
Saves: SM — Emmy McCarthy 3; JC — Josie Bianco 8
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