Marcoon goal sends Falcons to state final
Four years separates Severna Park field hockey from its last state title, when the 2015 Falcons brought home the coveted hardware.
Now, it’s one game.
After Old Mill picked up an early advantage on the No. 4 Falcons, senior forward Anna Marcoon pocketed the go-ahead goal late in the second half to punch the Falcons’ ticket to the Class 4A state final, 2-1, for the 29th time in program history.
Severna Park (14-2) will take on the second-ranked Dulaney on Saturday at Washington College at 4 p.m.
Falcons senior Lila Slattery complimented her teammate’s score with a goal of her own, in the first half.
At first, the often indomitable Severna Park defense struggled to slow Old Mill senior Kaiya Sabur down.
Sabur ruled the outer edges of the field. When she’d skim the ball on the perimeter, she and the ball became a ghost — only to reappear in the middle of the Severna Park backfield, churning out feeds to her forwards.
When Old Mill earned its first corner almost midway through the first half, Sabur glided through the Falcons with enough precision to lock sight on junior Allyna Threat.
Sabur sliced a long pass through the middle, which Threatt picked and deposited behind freshman keeper Charlie Kramer to hand Old Mill the edge, 1-0.
Severna Park struggled to respond as Falcons couldn’t connect its passes or find success on its corners. As Falcons forwards tried to slip past the Patriots’ defenses, a swarm of royal-blue would swoop down upon them, blocking passes and regaining possession.
But the Falcons hadn’t gotten this far on luck.
Slattery’s trademark tireless work ethic was on full display as the senior midfielder connected with her teammates’ blocked efforts in the fray and lined a shot into the back of the net, with less than four minutes to go in the half.
She’d hoped to double her profits in the second half, drilling a shot through the Patriots’ cobalt curtain to hit junior keeper Patricia Sanchez.
But Sanchez was ready. She plucked the would-be-goal midflight and tossed it back onto the turf for the save.
However, the Falcons defense had to put in overtime working to stop Old Mill. The Patriots’ attacks flirted with fruition, testing Kramer’s walls from each side.
Only Slattery’s interception of Sabur’s ferry to the net prevented the Patriots from taking its lead, and the momentum, on its third corner attempt.
Like her Millersville counterpart, Slattery nearly pulled control her team’s way as she wheeled toward Sanchez, dished to Jenna King, who nailed a shot on the post, mere inches from glory.
So another Falcon answered the call. Marcoon plunged into a mess of blue and white at the mouth of the cage. She wound her stick back, and struck.
Old Mill hangs up its promising season on its third semifinal appearance in program history.