By Amy Russell

The Severna Park Falcons field hockey team continued to fuel its trip to the state title with a 5-1 victory over Annapolis in the region quarterfinals at Roberts Field. Earlier in the season, the Falcons shut out Annapolis, 3-0, in route to what is currently a 14-1-1 record.

A perfect pass from Kendyl Gardner to Madeline Ross got Severna Park on the board early. Then, consistent shooting led to Marissa Balleza’s two unassisted goals, and a score by Gardner off an assist by Karlie Fuller pushed Severna Park’s lead to four at the break.

Annapolis tried to narrow the gap early in the second half, but a late goal by Kelsey Fielder from Nell Bragdon secured the four-goal margin for the Falcons, who cleared the bench following intermission. The victory pushes the Falcons to the region semifinals, where they will continue the fight for a sixth consecutive state championship.

Coach Lillian Shelton first formed the Falcons’ field hockey team in 1975, and coached the first team to a state championship four years later in 1979. Since then, Shelton and the Falcons have made 27 state championship appearances and secured 19 titles – more than any other field hockey program in Maryland.