Defense carries Marriotts Ridge
Mustangs stop No. 2 Eagles, advance in soccer playoffs
After allowing a season-high five goals to Centennial just nine days ago, Marriotts Ridge coach Quinn Khouri knew he needed to make some changes ahead of their playoff rematch Saturday morning.
During practice this week, Khouri decided to add a third center back to keep one player in front of the offensive talent of the Eagles.
That plan kept No. 2 seed Centennial scoreless until the final 90 seconds in a 2-1 road win that advanced the No. 3 Mustangs (7-5-1) to the 3A East, Region I final against Manchester Valley or Mount Hebron.
“The boys worked on that all week, made sure we pressured right away and forced them to go backward if possible, and if you do get beat you have that safety net behind you,” Khouri said. “The boys did a fantastic job adjusting to that.”
Century 2, South Carroll 1, 2OT: Kyle Kropfelder treated himself to a clear plastic cup filled with chocolate milk after Saturday afternoon’s thrilling boys soccer playoff game between Century and South
Carroll.
The beverage was only part of his reward — the senior forward scored two goals, the second of which came early in double overtime and lifted the Knights past the Cavaliers 2-1 in a Class 2A West Region 1 semifinal.
Kropfelder converted from close range amid an aggressive push by Century (11-4), which withstood a charge from South Carroll throughout the first overtime. The Knights simply refused to have their season ended at home against a county rival, Kropfelder said.
Girls soccer
No. 4 South River 3, Broadneck 2, 2OT: Madeline Lenkart scored the game-winner on an assist from Alana Morris to lift the Seahawks (16-0-2) over the Bruins (13-8-2) in a Class 4A East region II semifinal. South River goalie Julia Cobb made four saves and Sam Hoffman made seven saves for Broadneck.
No. 13 Marriotts Ridge 1, Westminster 0: The top-seeded Mustangs went into halftime tied scoreless on Saturday but came out stronger in the second half to defeat visiting Westminster, 1-0, advancing to the Class 3A Region I final next week.
Qualls’ squad hasn’t scored in the first half in six of its last eight games, but freshman Giavana Liberto’s second-half goal on Saturday came as a relief to the Mustangs offense that dominated possession and peppered Westminster’s goalie with shots.
The victory sets up a region final — formerly the section final — between the county champion Mustangs and No. 2 Mt. Hebron (9-4). Marriotts Ridge (11-2) beat Mt. Hebron, 2-1, on Oct. 3.
Football
No. 5 Calvert Hall 34, Gilman 0: The visiting Cardinals (7-2, 2-2 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference) took a 20-0 lead in the first half and shut out the Greyhounds (1-8, 0-3). The victory was the third straight for Calvert Hall. Amir Jenkins had a 39-yard touchdown run with 5:18 left in the game. Sean Tucker had a 53-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Cardinals host Avalon on Friday at 6 p.m.
No. 14 Parkville 49, Western Tech 0: The host Knights (8-0) went on a 43-0 run in the first half and cruised past the Wolverines (0-9). The shutout was the second of the year for Parkville, which shut out Towson, 26-0, on Sept. 14.