McDonough girls soccer shut out in state semis

Rams reached state semifinals for first time

PASADENA — In the af- termath of team’s 7-0 setback against Patterson Mill High School of Harford County in Saturday evening’s Class 1A state semifinal at Northeast High School, the first in the history of the program, Mc- Donough High School junior Elizabeth Saoud vowed the Rams’ next visit would have a different outcome.

On a night when Patterson Mill took control of the contest in the opening minutes and coasted to the lopsided tally to earn a rematch with defending 1A state champion Sparrows Point of Baltimore County next weekend at Loyola University in Baltimore, Saoud was one of the few bright spots on the field for a McDonough squad that attained its first region title with a 2-0 victory over Brunswick of Frederick County on Nov. 8.

“This was the first time this school has ever gotten this far,” said Saoud, whose 10 goals this year were third on the team behind sophomore Peyton Carney (16) and senior Drew Anderson (15). “It wasn’t what we expected. But now we know what to expect the next time we come back here and it’s going to be a different outcome. Next year, we’re going to win it all.”

McDonough second-year head coach Dave Bradshaw was considerably more subdued after the setback. While Bradshaw commended his youthful squad that featured only two seniors, Anderson and

Elizabeth Hicks, he offered a promising glimpse of the future but was reluctant to reflect Saoud’s confident outlook.

“I’m very, very proud of these girls,” Bradshaw said. “This was the first time the McDonough girls soccer team has ever reached the state semifinals and now we now what it takes to play at this level. Patterson Mill was obviously very good. But even when we went into halftime down 2-0 the girls nev- er gave up. They played hard all the way to the end.”

Patterson Mill wasted little time attaining the upper hand. The Huskies applied pressure to the Rams from the opening whistle and, less than three minutes into the contest, forged a 1-0 lead when junior midfield

Katie Wysong drilled a low shot past McDonough goalkeeper Carley Hebb into the left corner of the net.

Patterson Mill continued to dominate possession throughout the first half, but it took the Huskies more than 30 minutes to get their sec- ond goal. With just over four minutes remaining in the half, Hebb knocked aside a shot by Patterson Mill senior Sommer Law, but Huskies sophomore Alexis Utain booted the rebound past the Rams keeper for a 2-0 lead.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Patterson Mill again struck quickly.

Junior midfielder Marissa Lapinsky, who is typically responsible for taking the cor-

ner kicks for the Huskies, notched her only goal of the night when her shot eluded the outstretched fingertips of Mc- Donough reserve goalkeeper Marisa Gibbs.

Unlike the first half when Patterson Mill’s early goal was followed by a modest drought, the Huskies added goals in bunches.

Just over 10 minutes later, Lapinsky delivered a stellar corner kick that Katie Wysong headed past Gibbs for a 4-0 lead. Four minutes after that, it was Annie Wysong who scored to give the Huskies a 5-0 lead midway through the half.

Patterson Mill gradually worked many of its reserves into the contest, but the Hus- kies still managed to score

twice more. Junior forward Kaley Thompson notched her first goal of the night with 13 minutes remaining on a shot from well outside the box and, 10 minutes later, Thompson tallied her second goal of the night on a shot that found the left corner of the net.

“What I liked most from what I saw from my girls tonight was the fast start,” Patterson Mill head coach Mike Parker said. “We play with a lot of speed and energy and our girls are very physical and tonight they never let up. We have six seniors on the team, but we have a lot of underclassmen. Now our focus is facing Sparrows Point next weekend in the state title game.”