Patterson Mill back in final
Huskies pepper Mountain Ridge defense to win 1A state semifinal
Sophomore forward Michal Gradus scored three goals and senior forward Joe Cicenia added two more to lead Patterson Mill back to the Class 1A boys soccer state title game.
The Huskies (13-3) blanked Mountain Ridge (13-4-1), 5-0, Saturday in a state semifinal played at Northeast-Anne Arundel High School in Pasadena.
Patterson Mill will meet Loch Raven in the state final to be played at Loyola University’s Ridley Athletic Complex next week. The date is not yet known.
In Saturday’s win, it took the Huskies a little while to find the goal, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
The Huskies peppered the Mountain Ridge goal, but shots were saved or just off the mark.
“We’ve been starting games fast and the kids, at this point, know to get themselves ready to go during warm-ups, so even if we don’t put one in, we’re in their half, we’re pressuring their back line and goalie,”Huskies coach Wes Rich said. “We had a good start, we just couldn’t get the goal.”
That changed with 24:21 left in the first half. Gradus, who leads the team with 17 goals, brought a ball in from the left and drilled it past Miners goalie Brady Rounds.
Minutes before, Andrew Papageorgopoulos had a shot pushed away by the diving goalie Rounds.
Just seconds later, Mountain Ridge had its best scoring chance of the half.
NO. 1 RIVER HILL 3, NO. 9 HEREFORD 0: A team as dominant as River Hill boys’ soccer has been this season could easily overlook an opponent and look ahead, even during the do-or-die playoffs. It would be hard to blame the Hawks considering they have outscored opponents 61-7 and have yet to suffer a defeat this fall.
But coach Matt Shagogue won’t allow it, and neither do the senior leaders who remember all too well how last season ended with a 2-0 loss to Eastern Tech in the 2A state championship game.
“It’s a constant reminder even if they don’t need to be reminded, like there is no state championship game if you don’t win this one,” Shagogue said. “We keep saying we’re guaranteed one game and that’s it. Nobody is allowed to talk about anything else.”
That is, until now. The Hawks remained unbeaten and rolled past Hereford at home in Clarksville in a advance to the state final for the second straight year and the 12th time in the last 22 years.
River Hill (16-0-1), which has won nine state championships in 11 finals appearances, will face Oakdale, 1-0 winners over Kent Island. — Tim Schwartz, Baltimore Sun Media Group
NO. 4 C. MILTON WRIGHT 5, CITY 2: Conner Appleby scored twice and had an assist as the Mustangs (14-2) ended the Knights’ historic late-season run. Nick Dunstan-Maiese, Jayson Butler and Ryan Belfiore also scored in the win, while Noah Hassan and Guash Hassan scored for City.
WALT WHITMAN 1, NO. 5 BROADNECK 0 (4-3, PKS): With just under three minutes to play in the second overtime, Broadneck’s John Vaaler made yet another outstanding save, denying Walt Whitman a winning goal. He and his teammates had hung with and aggravated the Vikings for nearly 100 minutes, and penalty kicks would be the deciding margin for a tremendously played game by both sides.
Vaaler and the Bruins (16-3) were slightly on the short end, falling to Whitman (15-1) in penalty kicks, 4-3, after a scoreless regulation and overtime on Saturday.
“I thought that Broadneck played a perfect game,” Whitman coach Dave Greene said. “They did absolutely everything to get the game to where it was penalty kicks. Their goalkeeper came up big when he had to. It was a great game.” — Brian Burden, Baltimore Sun Media Group