Varsity field hockey’s quest ends in state semifinal game

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Grace Hazlehurst

Senior midfielder Claire Podles passes the ball in the MPSSAA regional semifinal Oct. 31. Podles scored one of the team’s three goals in the 3-1 win over Catonsville.

Doria Diacogiannis, Editor in chief
November 17, 2016

After three competitive MPSSAA 4A playoff games, varsity field hockey’s season came to an end Nov. 9 in the state semifinal game at Paint Branch High School.
GAME 3: Dulaney 0, South River 2
Though the Lions were competitive early on and had opportunities to score, senior midfielder Lauren Schlegel gave South River the lead early in the second half with the game’s first goal. Senior attackman Maia Cheeks scored again for the Seahawks with 1:48 left on the clock.
“We came out fighting hard and never slowed the whole game,” senior co-captain Kiley Bolonda said. “Although we wanted more than anything to go all the way, we have so much to be proud of.” The Lions finished the season at 13-5.
GAME 2: Dulaney 1, Old Mill 0
The team defeated the Patriots in the 4A North Regional Championship at home Nov. 2. Senior attackman Emma Klein netted the game’s only goal with 24:44 remaining in the first half. The game was physical, as multiple players from Old Mill were given cards.
“Going into the game, we knew we wanted to score early and take some of the pressure off of us, so that was what we did,” Klein told the Baltimore Sun. “We worked really hard as a team to keep it together and make sure we didn’t let the physical play get to us, so we held our own the whole game and stayed true to our own game so we could pull out the win.”
GAME 1: Dulaney 3, Catonsville 1
The Lions bounced back strong after losing the county championship game to Hereford Oct. 24. Despite an initial threat by Catonsville and a slow start by the Lions, the team rebounded to get the win in the Oct. 31 game, dominating with aggressive offense and solid defense. Klein put her team ahead on the scoreboard with the Lions’ first goal, and senior midfielder Claire Podles scored the second one with 23:10 left in the second half. Catonsville’s Ashlyn Cunningham scored for the Comets’ just 4 minutes after, but junior attackman Reece Spann secured the Lions’ victory with a third goal, with just 0:46 to go in the game.
“At this point in the season you put all the money in the bank as Coach says and it’s time to just show it, so we just really had to clear out of the slate coming out of County Championships,” Bolonda said.
Sports editor Patrick Fitzgerald contributed to this report.