Warriors lose in region final
Field hockey team blanked by Patuxent
In their quest to capture another Class 1A state championship, the senior-laden Patuxent High School field hockey team realized that it would have to overcome a modest emotional hurdle that coincided with Wednesday’s 1A South Region final against visiting La Plata.
Patuxent’s talented group of seniors, five of whom have started since their freshman year when the team garnered its first of four straight region plaques, had never suffered a single
setback on their home field in Lusby.
Wednesday evening, the Panthers’ start was anything from perfect as senior Savannah Gearhart’s first and second goals occurred 18 minutes apart, but they dominated play en route to an 8-0 victory over the Warriors.
The win advanced Patuxent to the 1A state semifinals versus Patterson Mill of Harford County, the 1A North Region champion, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Broadneck High School in Annapolis.
“It was kind of emotional knowing this was going to be my last home game,” said Patuxent senior Mack Dinopolous, a Holy Cross College recruit who also plays tennis for the school. “We have never lost a game on our home field. There are nine seniors on the team and we’ve never lost here. Most of us have been playing varsity since we were freshmen.”
Gearhart, who also plays lacrosse for the school in the spring, scored the game’s first goal less than two minutes in and the Panthers appeared poised for another lopsided tally. Patuxent had defeated La Plata, 5-0, during the regular season on Sept. 27 and then 7-0 in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championship game on Oct. 19. The Panthers’ quick start on Wednesday, however, was neutralized by La
Plata goalie Kelly Resendes.
Patuxent (14-0) spent most of the next 15 minutes in the Warriors’ circle with Gearhart in charge of sending in the corners to her teammates at the top of the circle. But even when Panthers players drove the ball deep into the circle and to the mouth of the goalie box, Resendes was often there to kick the ball harmlessly away. She had 11 saves in a busy first half and 18 for the game.
“Their goalie was definitely very good,” said Gearhart, who eventually gave Patuxent a 2-0 lead 18 minutes after her first goal. “She made a lot of stops. I think we still need to do a better job communicating on offense. We made good passes, but we didn’t finish a lot of possessions. We need to work on that before the state semifinals next week.”
La Plata head coach Pomie Radcliff commended her goalie and her defenders for their efforts on Wednesday against a seasoned, veteran squad seeking its second straight 1A title. The Warriors failed to take a single shot on goal during the game and crossed midfield with possessions briefly in the second half, but they never surrendered despite the lopsided score.
“This was definitely the best game that we played them of the three and this was probably the best the girls played all season,” Radcliff said. “Patuxent has a great team and we knew what we were facing, but our defense was really good and Kelly played a great game. She made a number of really tough saves.”
Dinopolous scored her first of two goals with just
over five minutes remaining in the first half and freshman Riley Eells scored her first of two goals one minute later. Dinopolous tallied her second goal of the outing with just over three minutes left in the half, lifting the Panthers to a 5-0 lead, a margin minimized considerably by Resendes’ play in the box.
Patuxent opened the second half as it had the first with a goal less than two minutes in as Eells deflected a shot by Zoe Elliott past Resendes for a 6-0 lead. Senior Kendra Scruggs then scored six minutes later on a shot from deep in the circle and Elliott got her lone goal of the contest with 17 1/2 minutes remaining. It would prove to be the last goal of the night despite frequent chances by the Panthers over the next 15 minutes.
“This group of seniors really commands a lot of respect from the younger girls,” said Patuxent 18thyear head coach Lynn Powell. “Once practice starts they know what needs to be done. The seniors go out and set the tone and the freshmen and sophomores are right there behind them. The seniors never lost a home game and they’ve lost only one conference game [to Huntingtown] in four years and they’re still mad about that.”