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In the playoffs, there’s no reward for style points, just for winning.
Severna Park’s girls soccer team scuffled their way through all 80 minutes of their 3A state quarterfinal matchup against Bel Air, but the Falcons had enough in the tank to outlast their opponents and advance with a 3-1 win.
Goals from Emma Lawrence and Maria Bragg staked the Falcons to a 2-0 lead. It could have been more, but they narrowly missed a handful of quality chances to kill the game off. Then came the frantic second half when a long, high free kick goal for Bel Air brought the Bobcats within a single goal.
They could have equalized on a goalmouth scramble in the final minutes, but the ball was cleared, and Izzy Burleson gave the Falcons some precious breathing space with a close-range strike in officials’ time.
“Credit to Bel Air for sticking to their plan; they wanted set pieces and to take long, high shots. We needed to not give away silly fouls outside the box, and that’s what we ended up doing,” said Severna Park coach Rick Stimpson. “We had a lot of chances, and if you don’t take them it gets like this … it’s all about advancing, but we need to be better in the next game.”
The Falcons will play a familiar opponent in the state semifinals: Chesapeake, who they beat twice this season by identical 2-0 scores both in the regular season and in the county championship game.
That game will be played Saturday at 7:30pm at Glen Burnie High School.
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