Sierra Cockerille admitted that she didn't expect to take the shot that ended an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinal in sudden-death overtime Thursday afternoon.
Severn wishes she hadn't.
Cockerille, a sophomore midfielder, scored 1:17 into the extra session, enabling No.4 Roland Park Country School to defeat the No. 14 Admirals, 11-10, and advance to to the conference final against top-ranked McDonogh for the third consecutive year. The game is slated to be played on Saturday evening at Archbishop Spalding in Severn at 7 p.m.
Cockerille's second goal of the game came on a free position shot that went right under the cross bar, causing a wild celebration by the victorious Reds.
"It was very exciting because I was the one who lost the ball before the tying goal," Cockerille said of Severn's tally with 18 seconds to go in regulation that came after a turnover tied the score, 10-10. "I know I needed to score that goal, so I just put all my power into that shot. I finished like I was suppose to finish."
Roland Park was led by senior midfielder Anna Hauser, a University of Virginia signee, with a game-high four goals.
Juniors Ally Hall and Brooke Robbins each had three goals for Severn and teammate Maddie McDaniel, a senior attacker, chipped in two goals and an assist.
Roland Park (14-3) turned a 6-6 tie into a 10-6 lead in the second half in about eight minutes as Hauser, Kiki Shaw, Chelsea Kovinsky and Marsie Salvtori scored during the Reds' run.
"My seniors stood up and said, 'This is our game, we have to do this,'" Roland Park coach Kim McNemar said. "It was all heart."
But Severn (12-7) eased its way back into contention, using precision passing and a few Roland Park turnovers to draw even.
Tess Bradshaw scored on a feed from McDaniel with 5:05 remaining, and Hall cut the lead to 10-8 on an unassisted goal with 4:12 left.
Hall scored again on a free position shot 87 seconds later to trim the lead to one.
Reds' freshman goalie Amber Bustard (8 saves) then stopped Caroline Mason's point-blank shot with only 35 seconds remaining, but Hall scored her third goal of the game from eight meters out just 17 seconds later on a blistering shot to the upper corner as she got knocked down by a Roland Park defender.
"I was very proud of my girls to come back and get the tie," said Severn coach Erin McCarthy, whose team lost to Roland Park by the same score in early April. "We kept chipping away at the lead. We never got down."