Words and pictures by Colin A.J. Murphy

Billy Zito's usual staunch defense in the midfield shut down the Leonardtown attack, and the senior's 3rd-minute goal gave the Falcons an uplifitng 1-0 lead.

Playing their final game on Roberts Field at Severna Park High School against #2-seed Leonardtown in the Class 4A Region final on Tuesday night, the senior members of the #1-seed Severna Park boys soccer team had put tremendous pressure on themselves to close out their home careers with a win and earn a trip to the state semifinals.

Under all that pressure? They shined.

Senior captain Billy Zito scored on a header for the Falcons just three minutes into the contest, and senior Alex Moore bookended the game with a sensational bending finish over Leonardtown’s goalkeeper in the 73^rd minute, giving the Falcons a 2-0 win, the Class 4A East Region championship, and a berth in the state semifinals this Saturday at Richard Montgomery High School, time and opponent TBA. The victory makes it a complete sweep on the day for Severna Park, as the girls team claimed the East Region championship by upending Leonardtown by the same 2-0 score earlier in the evening. As Head Coach Roy Dunshee said following the contest, the boys executed the defensive game plan to near perfection, and the Falcons’ always-dangerous scoring threats did the rest.

“Today was a comprehensive defensive effort, all over the field,” he said. “Everyone who stepped on the field was committed to defending high-pressure for the entire game, so we never really gave Leonardtown time on the ball. They never really broke us down, and that’s saying something, because that is a [Leonardtown] team that has scored a lot of goals this year. So it was a great defensive effort.”

Outstanding defense by Tyler Spence (top), Connor DelPrete, Cole Strong, Michael Hofstedt, and the entire rotation of Severna Park's midfielders and fullbacks dismantled Leonardtown's normally potent attack.

As Dunshee indicated, the Falcons’ relentless defensive pressure virtually dismantled a Leonardtown team which has myriad scoring threats up front and in the midfield and has piled up goals against opponents all season long. In the opening moments, the Falcons’ quickness on the ball placed the game in their attacking third of the field, and they earned a corner kick in the third minute. Tyler Spence sent a low, hard cross to the near post, and a cutting Zito beat his marker and the Leonardtown goalie to the ball, heading it home for the 1-0 lead and a dream start for Severna Park.

“Near post ball, we ran the play so I would get there before the goalie, and I just headed it in,” said an understated Zito following the game.

“Getting that early goal lifted everyone’s spirits,” said Dunshee of the early score. “You need that energy to carry you through.”

Without question, the early lead depressed Leonardtown’s spirits and lifted the Falcons into another gear energy-wise. Severna Park maintained constant pressure on the Raiders offensively and defensively throughout the game, seemingly just a split second faster to every loose ball, to every pass, to every cut.

To their credit, Leonardtown continued to fight as hard as possible, only to be continually thwarted by the staunch Falcon defense. Nonetheless, their talented corps of goal-scorers is never to be taken lightly, and with less than ten minutes to play in the game the Raiders still trailed by only one goal and were pushing hard for the equalizer.

Only they couldn’t do anything to stop Moore, a not uncommon problem for opponents of Severna Park this season and particularly in these state playoffs. In the 73^rd minute, Moore received a well-placed through-ball from defender Michael Hofstedt on the left sideline. Drifting into the corner, he eluded a Leonardtown defender with a deft cutback touch, then let fly a marvelous, boomeranging shot around and over Leonardtown’s diving goalie. The ball clanged into the upper right corner, sending the students in the stands into a frenzy and putting the game all but out of reach for Leonardtown, who now trailed 2-0 with just seven minutes remaining.

The boomerang effect of Moore's dazzling bender around the Leonardtown goalkeeper was enough to throw cameras all over the field out of focus.

The Falcons maintained the defensive pressure and ran out the clock, taking the victory and the Class 4A East Region Championship.

“Spectacular goal,” said Dunshee of Moore’s wondrous finish. “Alex has scored some terrific goals this year, and our attacking play…I must give some credit to our assistant coach Ryan Parisi, who works with the forwards, and who has worked with Alex on his finishing. No one was prouder of that goal than Ryan Parisi.”

“Feels good,” said Moore of the complete win in the seniors’ last home game. “Last game on our field, so it was good to have two seniors score tonight. Everything’s coming together well, so I think we have a really good shot at [the state championship]. We just have to give it all we’ve got these last two games.”

The Falcons are the 2011 MPSSAA Class 4A East Region champions.

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