Glenelg wins 3rd title in row
Gladiators top River Hill for 2A East crown
The No. 7 Glenelg field hockey team secured its third straight regional title on Wednesday night with a 4-0 win over visiting River Hill in the Class 2A East region final. The Gladiators (12-1-1) have won nine regional titles in the past decade — 2015 was the lone year they fell short of the state semifinals — and all four of their state championships have come during that stretch.
The Gladiators’ sustained success includes having a strong group of seniors, Emma LeTellier said, and that’s no different with this year’s team. OnWednesday night, seniors accounted for three of the four goals, as LeTellier found the back of the cage twice and Mallory Jubb added the third tally. Sophomore Sammie Anderson capped the scoring on a tip-in with 13 minutes to play, though by that point, the game was all but decided.
With the victory, Glenelg advance to face No. 13 Liberty in the Class 2A state semifinals Wednesday at Paint Branch. They’re two wins away from winning back-to-back state championships. The Hawks finished 7-9.
“We just need to make sure we’re working our hardest, staying down, working together, connecting the passes,” said LeTellier, who has been a part of the Gladiators’ past two region titles. “I think we can take it all the way.”
NO. 11 CHESAPEAKE-AA 2, MOUNT HEBRON 1: The visiting Cougars (11-6) rallied in the second half to score twice off corners to beat the Vikings (10-7) and claim the Class 3A East region title.
“Seniors don’t want to be done tonight. After you go to the state championship game, it’s really hard not to have that as your goal,” Chesapeake coach Joan Johnson said. “And my girls have that focus and that’s where they want to be.”
Junior Shelby Bennoit took a cross from defender Caitlyn Johnson to score the equalizer midway through the second half. Seconds later, sophomore Georgia Spangler passed to senior Hannah McKeon, whomade the go-ahead goal.
“The endless shooting, the endless notgiving-up-on-the ball,” McKeon said.
“It’s not even about the shot,” Bennoit said. “It’s just that tip right in the goal. That’s all you need. It doesn’t have to be fancy.”
The Vikings pressured the Chesapeake backfield all night long, but the Cougars defense stymied most shots, of which Mount Hebron had 10, before they could make their way to Eve Vickery. The junior had only four saves on the game.
Junior Esha Shah was magnetized to the ball from start to final buzzer, and it was her that scored the only goal for the Vikings. A little over midway through the first half, Mount Hebron drew a penalty stroke and enlisted Shah at the front-line. She mashed it, finding a clear space just beyond Vickery’s fingers.
NO. 13 LIBERTY 6, OAKDALE 0: The host Lions (15-2) cruised past the Bears to capture their third straight 2A West region title. Liberty has won seven straight games and hasn’t lost since Oct. 2. Since then, they’ve outscored each of their opponents 19-3.
“I think this obviously means that the program is building and it has built a foundation so we can keep building,” Lions’ senior Heidi Ellis said. “Myfreshman year, we didn’t win anything. We didn’t win counties, we didn’t win regionals, we lost in the first round of playoffs.
“I think that goes to show that our team has really changed over the years and we continue to build and we want to keep making the program better.”
Ellis and freshman Haley Batton both scored and notched an assist for the Lions (15-2). Kayleigh Ward, a forward, scored twice and added an assist as well. Ward said the Lions have players capable of filling the holes left behind by those who have graduated or will graduate, and everyone adapts naturally.
It’s been a contributing factor to the Lions’ success in recent years.
PATTERSON MILL 8, CARVER A&T1: The Huskies (9-7) took some time to get their scoring started, but when they did, the team rolled past host Carver A&T, 8-1, for the Class 1A North title. Patterson Mill won its seventh region championship, and third in four years.
Molly Egan had a hat trick for Patterson Mill, which has yet to win a state hockey title and will face Patuxent in the state semifinals 7 p.m. Wednesday at Broadneck.