Falcons Vying For County, Region Supremacy

Severna Park’s boys soccer season is about halfway through, but there’s already been one indelible memory forged.

Captain Garrett Moden lived the dream, then made it reality, when he took the ball in the last minute of overtime against Broadneck on September 9. With the game tied 1-1, he had been felled in the penalty area, and the referee pointed to the spot.

Moden put the ball down 12 yards from goal, waited for the whistle, then put it on frame and raced to the corner flag as the net rippled, giving the Falcons a 2-1 win over their rivals.

“I’ve been on this team for three years. At this point, you feel like you’ve got to be the leader, cool, calm, collected and put it away,” Moden said. “I’ve played with these guys for a long time, even before high school. To be able to celebrate in the corner with the guys is special.”

The win was one of five Severna Park has posted in their first seven games of the season. They also beat North East (of Cecil County) 6-0, Northeast (of Anne Arundel) 8-1, South River 4-0 and Severn Run 5-0.

Behind a stingy defense and the skill and movement of forwards Stephen Bacho and Aiden Min, the Falcons have a formidable combination of savvy, skill and steel.

That proved especially handy against Broadneck, as no fewer than eight players from both sides play for the same club team, and a further six play for other teams in the club. In that scenario, where players know each other so well, any edge is crucial.

“There’s definitely a lot of chirping going on in that game. We’re teammates in club, but here we’re rivals, and you’ve got to turn it off and do business,” Bacho said. “We have a lot of experience and a lot of returners. I’ll take our guys over anybody, and I feel like we have a great chance this season.”

Everything is still in their hands, but the season hasn’t been without its hiccups. The Falcons’ lone loss was a 4-0 setback to Chesapeake, in which county player of the year Byron Klohr netted all four of the Cougars’ goals. There was a late concession against Crofton in the September 25 game, canceling out goals from Bacho and Caden Morris. That contest ended in a 2-2 draw, leaving both teams perched together atop their county division standings with nothing to separate them.

Charlie Samples, last year’s starting keeper, left the Broadneck game with an injury after colliding with the frame of the goal while trying to keep the ball out. Junior Henry Bauer has been between the sticks since then.

Regardless of who’s in, who’s out, or what the results are, the Falcons are relying on skill and togetherness to weather whatever storms they might face.

“We just get behind our guys, backing Henry, making sure he’s ready to go and give him the confidence we have in him,” Moden said. “We’ve got a lot of returners. Everyone here has a lot of varsity experience, and with the group of guys we have, we feel like we can beat anybody.”