Falcons Defeat Seahawks 2-1 In Overtime, Advance To 4A State Quarterfinals

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They all knew the game would be close.

Having already played almost 200 minutes of neck-and-neck soccer in two previous matchups this season, the Severna Park and South River girls soccer teams both just wanted to come out on the winning side of Tuesday’s 4A East playoff game.

“We said in the beginning it was going to come down to a few moments, and we just had to make sure those few moments went in our favor,” said Severna Park coach Rick Stimpson. “The girls came up huge in the end.”

Coming up huge was manifested by senior Toni Fiocco-Mizer, who produced the game’s decisive moment in double overtime on Tuesday by one-timing a pass from freshman Ava Schultz into the goal and lifting Severna Park to a 2-1 win and a spot in the 4A bracket’s eight-team state playoff.

The Falcons (13-2-2), who played South River to a scoreless tie back in early October and lost 1-0 in overtime to the Seahawks in the county championship game eight days ago, are back in contention for the state crown with a chief nemesis cleared from their path.

“I’ve never been more proud of this team,” said Fiocco-Mizer, “and we’ve got a lot more to go.”

Tuesday’s win by the Falcons over another state contender in the Seahawks came by intense defensive labor, a go-ahead score by Schultz early in the second half and Fiocco-Mizer’s overtime winner, and in spite of a robust effort by the host Seahawks. South River produced advantages in time of possession, shots, corners and overall scoring opportunities, but Severna Park’s defense, as it has all season, stayed tight and gave the Falcons the chance to win.

South River (16-1-2) nearly took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half, but a shot by freshman Alana Morris clanged the crossbar and went back into play before it was cleared away.

The Seahawks mounted unrelenting pressure in the second half, but the Falcon back line of Lena McLaughlin, Chase Campbell, Leah Myers and Olivia Altman defended with equal resolve. McLaughlin came up with header after header to clear away South River’s corner kicks, and the Falcon midfield looked for counter-attacking opportunities. Severna Park goalkeeper Katie Byrd made a diving tip-over-the-bar save on one South River shot and a quick-reaction kick save on the goal line, in addition to a slew of necessary catches. Byrd finished with 11 saves.

In the 59th minute, Severna Park made the most of its until-then limited chances. The Falcons won a free kick near the corner flag, and Campbell sent a pass into the box. It was initially cleared away, then recycled back in front of goal, where it was won by Fiocco-Mizer. The senior laid it off to Schultz, who hit it in stride, past South River goalie Julia Cobb for a 1-0 lead.

“I saw Toni coming across, and she had an amazing ball, and I just stepped right into it and put it in,” said Schultz.

The Severna Park backs resumed their steadfast defense of goal against the still-onrushing Seahawks, but South River’s breakthrough eventually came. With under 10 minutes to play, Seahawk senior midfielder Sophia Michalski-Cooper blasted a low shot from outside the box. The ball appeared to deflect on its way to goal and clipped Byrd before rattling the inside of the post and bouncing in to tie the game at 1-1.

The game went to overtime and seemed destined for the cruelty of penalty kicks to decide a winner, but Severna Park’s goal-producing duo struck again.

This time, it was Schultz carving a path down the right sideline and getting off a strong cross to the center of the box. Fiocco-Mizer was on the receiving end of the pass, and the senior booted it into the roof of the goal to end the game and put Severna Park through to the next round.

“I saw Ava booking it through people and cutting people up, she was doing so well,” said Fiocco-Mizer. “I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be so funny if Ava assisted me right after I assisted Ava?’ It was literally a split second before, and then the ball came in, and I just stuck my foot into it, put everything into it, you, the ball, just everything needs to go into the back of the net, so that was my mentality right there.”

Just a freshman, Schultz was the much-needed icebreaker in a battle of teams who had neutralized each other’s stacked classes of talented juniors and seniors.

Did she every think she’d be scoring and assisting, helping the varsity to victory in the biggest game of the season?

“No,” Schultz said after the game, smiling, excited, cheeks flushed, short on words. “No. It feels really good. It feels amazing.”

Senior midfielder and captain Lauren Campbell said the team didn’t flinch when South River tied the game late.

“We always knew that South River would be hard competition based on our county game, so we knew that we were going to be able to beat them,” Campbell said. “We had that mentality, and we started with it. They got that goal, but we knew there was overtime and that we can keep our possession-type of game like we always do. We knew we could get past them.”

It is fitting that the teams finished 1-1-1 against each other this season. Severna Park’s celebration was commensurate with the quality of the opponent, and South River’s players walked off the field in tears, getting hugs and encouragement from the Falcons after the handshake line.

“These games, you play ‘em 10 times and you’ll win five of them and they’ll win five of them,” said South River head coach John Sis. “They’re an excellent team. You just hope you keep them off the board long enough so you can score.”

Sis spoke proudly of his program, which has been a perennial power in the 4A East, including this season.

“Our seniors, some of them have been four-year starters for us. They’ve left the program better than when they found it,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of those seniors and the effort they give, and the example they led with for the underclassmen. We went down a goal, they went up a goal and held it, and we were able to fight back and get a goal. The second overtime period, we just couldn’t find the energy to stop them.”

For Severna Park, another determined defensive display and persevering attack has the Falcons still alive in the ultra-competitive 4A field, and Stimpson reflected on his team’s performance and defensive resolve.

“We knew it was going to be a battle. They’re very well-coached, very good team, and we had to ride our luck at times,” said Stimpson. “Our defense is tremendous. They’ve been great all season. They don’t give up many chances. South River, they create a lot of problems for a lot of teams. They had to rise to the challenge, and they did. We gave up a goal which could have broken us, but the girls kept focus and held in there, and we got our reward in the end.”

Chase Campbell, also a captain, said the Falcons’ defensive strength is borne of trust.

“We’ve always had that same back four, and we feel such a connection towards each other,” Campbell said. “We grew as a family throughout the season, and not just the back four, the whole team. The trust is in the back four and throughout the whole team. The trust and respect just helps in every game.”

She said the Falcons plan to keep the party going now that they’re one of the state’s last eight standing.

“We have a team that is super deep in talent, and I think we can go as far if not farther this year,” Campbell said, “and I’m really confident and excited to see what the future brings.”

View high-resolution prints and downloads of photos in this gallery. Photos by Colin Murphy

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