McKillop, Bulls catch fire
Sophomore scores all goals as Hereford wins third straight Balto. County title
The No. 10 Dulaney field hockey team never had a chance in the Baltimore County championship game Monday night.
The visiting Lions ran into a No. 12 Hereford team that dominated play all day for a 3-0 victory in Parkton.
It was Bulls’ third straight county title and ninth in the past 10 years.
“What separated this game from the others is that we got to play on our home field under the lights,” said Caitlin Duvall, a third-year coach whose team outshot the Lions 25-2 and had a 18-1 advantage in penalty corners. “It was special moment that added to our energy.”
Hereford’s Mackenzie McKillop had the game of her life.
The sophomore forward scored three goals — all in the second half. She has 10 this season. “She was on fire tonight,” Duvall said. “She came off the field early and we gave her some adjustments to make. We wanted her to cut back to the ball a little bit more. She definitely made those adjustments and was where she needed to be at the right time.”
Hereford (10-3) tested the defense of Ellie Dreschler, Lydia Naughton, Grace Jung and Mae Dickens and goalie Alli Hill right away.
The Bulls had five penalty corners in the first five minutes and Hill, a senior, made three saves during that stretch, including on blistering shots from Emily Endres and Kailyn Brandt.
Indeed, her stout play kept the Lions in the game.
She shined again when she stopped Madeleine Palumbo on a breakaway with 11:18 remaining in the first half, one in which Hereford held a huge advantage in penalty corners (9-0) and shots (8-0).
“I couldn’t have been happier with her performance,” Dulaney coach Kellie Fialcowitz said of Hill, who finished with 15 saves. “She hadn’t been tested like this all season. She made some amazing saves.”
Dulaney (9-3) picked up its play early in the second half.
But Casey O’Grady’s hard back-handed shot was stopped by All-State junior goalie Camryn Kelbaugh, who leaped about a foot in the air and deflected the ball out of danger with her glove with 25:35 remaining
Twenty seconds later, Claire Podles’ shot off a penalty corner went wide of the goal.
The rest of the game belonged to the two-time Class 2A defending state champion Bulls.
Hereford scored with 18:20 remaining in the second half.
Hill saved Endres’ shot, but McKillop knocked the rebound past Hill from about 3 yards out.
“Once we got that first goal, we all kind of clicked,” Duvall said. “And you could feel the energy.”
Then McKillop scored consecutive goals 37 seconds apart.
She found the back of the cage with12:56 left and scored again from 4 yards out after collecting a controlling pass from Peyton Martino to put Hereford ahead 3-0.
“You don’t really expect someone to score three in a row,” McKillop said.