McKillop lifts No. 7 Hereford to upset of No. 1 Glenelg, 1-0
Sophomore’s goal hands Gladiators first loss in 17 games; Liberty wins
The Hereford field hockey team ended No. 1 Glenelg’s magical ride in the Class 2A state semifinals, as sophomore forward Mackenzie McKillop scored early in the first half to give the No. 7 Bulls a1-0 victory over the Gladiators at Paint Branch.
It was Glenelg’s first loss in 17 games.
“This was a huge victory for us,” said Hereford coach Caitlin Duvall, whose team was outshot 16-4. “Glenelg was the team to beat this season, and they had a fantastic season. We just got lucky with one break.”
The two-time defending Class 2A state champion Bulls advance to play Kent Island, a 5-1 winner over Manchester Valley Monday in the other semifinal, in the final on Saturday.
Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. at Washington College in Chestertown.
“It’s a very rare opportunity, and it would be pretty incredible to do it,” Duvall said of winning three consecutive titles. “I think it would mean a lot for this senior class. They’ve been part of this for the past two years, so I think that’s uncommon in the field hockey world.”
Glenelg wasted no time in testing Hereford All-State goalie Camryn Kelbaugh and defenders Madison Hackett, Dana Meehling and Gracie Sanders.
Kelbaugh saved Laney Treacy’s shot off a penalty corner in the third minute and, 30 seconds later, turned away Jenny Giampalmo’s attempt.
McKillop, who had three goals in Hereford’s 3-0 victory over Dulaney in the Baltimore County championship Oct. 24, scored about seven minutes into the game.
Kailyn Brandt’s crossing pass from just inside the 16-yard circle went off of Glenelg goalie Kaylin Craine’s pad and to McKillop, who knocked the ball into the back of cage from a yard out for her 12th goal of the season. Kent Island players celebrate the first goal of their Class 2A semifinal against Manchester Valley, scored by Abby Carpenter, third from left. Kent Island won, 5-1.
NO. 13 LIBERTY 5, PATUXENT 1: The Lions (15-2) scored five straight goals in the second half to take down the Panthers in a Class 1A state semifinal at Broadneck.
At the sound of the final buzzer, Lions coach Brenda Strohmer pumped her arms in the air as her players cleared the bench to celebrate with their teammates.
“I am a proud mama,” Strohmer said. “I didn’t breathe until the second goal, but they deserve this — these leaders deserve it.”
Strohmer directed her statement to a trio of her seniors: Abbie Busch, Hannah Miller and Ashley Caldwell. Each had a hand in one of the Lions’ five goals.
KENT ISLAND 5, MANCHESTER VALLEY1: The Buccaneers (17-1) dominated in all facets of the game and got two goals each from Abby Carpenter and Celina Kaufman to defeat the Mavericks (12-5) at Paint Branch and earn a spot in Saturday’s Class 2A state championship game.
“Everything went the way we practice it,” Kent Island coach Jami Wilt said. “You know you practice it all the time and sometimes you can put pieces together in a game and get enough of it together to pull it off. We have been able to do that all year and they have been strong all year, but today every player was on their best game. There was not one player that was not on their best game today and that was what’s so beautiful to watch.”
The Buccaneers exemplified that by tilting the field early in the game, forcing the Mavericks into turnovers deep in their end and eventually earning a penalty corner. On the corner, Emily Keller fed a pass to Carpenter who scored into the top corner.
QUEEN ANNE’S 3, PATTERSON MILL 0: The Lions used an aggressive offense and some great passing to defeat the Huskies (9-9) in a Class 1A state semifinal at Broadneck.
Queen Anne’s will take on Liberty, a 5-1 winner over Patuxent, in the Class 1A state championship, which will be played Saturday at 11 a.m. at Washington College.
Patterson Mill carried only two seniors on their team, while Queen Anne’s featured a team dominated by seniors and juniors. As so often happens in championship tournaments, that experience began to show itself early, in this case midway through the first half.
“We are a young team, and we made our share of mistakes,” said Patterson Mill coach Shannon Swinscoe. “I thought we had the ball for a lot of the game, but we weren’t very efficient with it. We didn’t take as many shots as we needed to.”