Word and pictures By Colin A.J. Murphy.

Winto The Night: Moore put the game to rest with his late second-half goal.

Alex Moore’s 68^th-minute goal lifted the Severna Park boys soccer team to a 1-0 win over visiting rival Broadneck in the MPSSAA Class 4A East Region semifinal on Friday night. The victory places the top-seeded Falcons in the regional final against the winner of the other semifinal between #2 seed Leonardtown and #3 seed North Point. The regional final will be played at Severna Park High School at 7 p.m on Tuesday, November 8.

The game was a huge victory for Severna Park in multiple senses. Not only do they continue their march through the regional bracket, but they do it by knocking off one of their closest rivals this season in Broadneck. The Bruins played the Falcons to a 1-1 tie at Broadneck High School on October 17, and they have a defense and goalkeeper that match up well with Severna Park’s dangerous offense. Broadneck played very well on Friday night, but the Falcons’ more assertive midfield play was a key difference in ultimately winning what was anticipated to be a low-scoring matchup. Severna Park carried possession throughout the night, particularly in the second half when they held a large majority.

The strong midfield play of Cole Strong (top) and Billy Zito has been a constant for the Falcons all year long and throughout the playoffs.

“We played better soccer than we did the last time we played Broadneck,” said Severna Park Head Coach Roy Dunshee. “I thought the game flowed much better, we had the ball on the ground more, we were able to link up more passes.” As Dunshee said after beating South River on Tuesday, the home field advantage was very important to them. “[Broadneck] are a very disruptive team. They’re very aggressive. They forced us to play in their style when we played at their place. But we were more comfortable here, and we got the ball on the ground and moved it around much better. We created a few chances, but the big thing was we had the ball more, so we didn’t give them a chance to come at us.”

When Broadneck was able to recover the ball, the Severna Park defense and midfield were relentlessly aggressive winning it back. The stellar passing and creative ability in transition of captain midfielders Cole Strong and Billy Zito were the offensive engine on a night when the Falcons were able to dictate the style of play.

“I’ve been watching Cole Strong,” said Dunshee. “He’s a junior now, he’s been starting since he was a freshman, and I’ve been watching him very carefully, and that’s the best I’ve ever seen him play. He and Billy Zito were immense in the middle of the field.”

With the defense and midfield doing their part to secure possession and generate transition offense, the Falcons’ senior-freshman scoring punch of Moore and Daniel Kwon were able to take advantage. Overtime was looming just 12 minutes away when Kwon flicked a nifty header through the Bruins defense and in front of a cutting Moore. Moore did the rest, tucking his low, hard shot tidily under the outstretched arms of Broadneck goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier.

The attacking duo of Moore and freshman Daniel Kwon has continued to be a potent scoring threat for Severna Park. Kwon managed a challenge for the ball above, but it was his nifty flick of a header through the Broadneck defense that set up Moore’s no-nonsense finish in the 68th minute.“Daniel’s got a nose for that sort of thing,” said Dunshee of Kwon’s thread-the-needle header to Moore for the winning score. Dunshee went on to describe how well-connected the dynamic duo has been for the Falcons. “Alex is a super aggressive kid, and he loves scoring goals. He seems to really click with Daniel Kwon, and they’ve combined for several goals this year.”

“But [Alex] has been fantastic for us,” said Dunshee of Moore, who has 10 goals on the season. “He’s a constant threat, he’s a menace, he gives defenders fits, and he was terrific today.”

The Falcons will look to maintain form and take the next step towards a state title when the host the region final on Tuesday night.

For ongoing playoff coverage of the girls and boys soccer teams, follow us on Twitter @SPVoiceSports.

OTHER GAME PHOTOS:

Severna Park's aggressive midfield play neutralized Broadneck's playmakers. Above, Connor DelPrete defends Broadneck's Tyler Gabarra.

Broadneck had their looks at the goal, such as the one above by David Keen, but the Bruins couldn't convert, and the Falcons' late goal sealed the game.

As for the students? They were pretty much loving it: