Gilman seniors Conor Doyle and Ryan Tucker were at their very best when the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion Greyhounds needed them most.
That was surely the case on May 17 in a conference semifinal against Boys' Latin when, with 1:26 remaining and the Lakers in command, 6-3, the 2011 Towson Times Players of the Year combined to help Gilman pull off an improbable 8-7 overtime triumph.
It all started after an altercation between the fierce rivals landed two Greyhounds and one Laker in the penalty box, and gave Gilman the ball in a four-on-five, man-down situation.
That's when Tucker went to work from his midfield position, sandwiching two goals around one by Doyle — in 35 seconds, no less — to send the game into overtime.
Once in the extra session, it took Tucker only 52 seconds to secure the victory on a wicked right-handed shot that he said was taken "a little off balance. He (BL's Adam Davey) is a great goalie, who plays on my summer league team (Baltimore Crabs), and he had been stopping my shots all season. But I thought we were in his head a little, and all I needed was a little room to get the shot off."
On his first goal, the University of Virginia recruit said he "had nothing to lose. Something just clicked. I had to make something happen for us to win." His 15-yard rocket exploded the net and, more importantly, gave Tucker and his teammates a spark.
Tucker added that, after Doyle's goal made it 6-4 with 42 seconds to go, he was certain the Greyhounds would win.
On that play, the University of Notre Dame-bound attackman raced to the sideline to scoop up a loose ball and headed toward the goal while being closely guarded.
"I leaned in (from goal-line extended toward the front of the net) and got my stick up and put it (the ball) over the goalie's shoulder, to the near post," Doyle said.
In the championship game against Calvert Hall, there was more of the same from Doyle and Tucker, who combined for five goals and three assists on the 13-8 victory over the Cardinals (17-2).
"We knew we had to get up on them early," said Doyle, who finished the season with 32 goals and 32 assists. "Their defense was very physical, but we capitalized on some of their mistakes."
While Doyle was already a skilled player coming into the season, Gilman coach Brooks Matthews wanted even more from the tri-captain (with Tucker and Justin George).
"Conor matured tremendously as a player this year," Matthews said. "We asked him to move the ball more decisively, which would allow him to help get others involved. He learned that he would still get the ball back and actually be in better position to dodge. He also played his best in the most meaningful games."
One of those was in the first of three victories over Boys' Latin when Doyle notched the game-winner in overtime.
Tucker, who totaled 25 goals and seven feeds this spring, was a rock on whom Matthews could always rely.
"Ryan's energy and leadership were a driving force behind our team's success," he said. "He did whatever we asked of him to make our team better, and his commitment to improving his defense and his facing off complemented his tremendous offensive talents — and made him a complete midfielder. He simply made his teammates better."