Falcons Boys Soccer Corrects Blip, Cruises Through September

For the Severna Park boys soccer team, September was a case of new faces, familiar places.

Seven games in, the Falcons find themselves 5-1-1 and again in good position to make a run in the 3A postseason.

They opened the season with a pair of games in Hagerstown, beating South Hagerstown 5-2 and playing North Hagerstown to a goalless draw.

Severna Park then scored successive 2-0 wins over Meade and South River, the latter of whom Severna Park beat for the county championship last year only to see the tables turned in regionals as South River won on the way to claiming the 3A state title.

After their only loss, a 2-1 setback to Chesapeake in which the Falcons scored first, they jumped on Broadneck for two goals in each half in a 4-1 victory on September 24.

“We went 1-0 up against Chesapeake, and we just took it too easy,” said Severna Park midfielder Aiden Min, who scored twice against the Bruins. “Now we know better, and we’re not going to let another performance slide like that. We really need to bring it the rest of the way.”

The Falcons have done it despite having to replace most of their offense from last year, in addition to an unexpected replacement in goal, as senior standout Matt Schisler will miss the entire season with a knee injury.

Severna Park closed September with a narrow 1-0 win over Glen Burnie. As the focus shifts to the second half of the season, the team’s development is right on track for them to get where they want to go.

“It’s all building blocks. We’re trying to play our best soccer at the end of the year, so each game provides a new lesson,” said Severna Park coach Ryan Parisi. “We’re (seven) games in, so that’s where we’re at right now (is halfway).”