Throughout the season, Roland Park Country School has been a second-half scoring team.
That changed yesterday.
The No. 4 Reds (4-0-1, 3-0-1) scored in the first half and went on to hand No. 6 Severn (7-1-3, 2-1-3) its first loss of the season, beating the Admirals, 1-0, in an Association of Independent Schools field hockey game.
"Every game this season it seems like we're a second-half team," Reds link and lone scorer Peggy Boutilier said. "Today we came out early."
As an incentive to score this season in the first 15 minutes of the game, Reds coach Debbie Bloodsworth has "bribed" the team with Nestle Crunch bars as a reward.
But credit Boutilier's goal with 12 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half to persistence and being in the right place -- not to her sweet tooth.
As red and maroon jerseys swarmed in front of the Severn goal, Boutilier kept swinging until she heard the ball hit the backboard.
"I was in front of the goal and I think I even hit it twice before it deflected off of someone's stick and went in," said Boutilier, who is one of the Reds' leading scorers with six goals and two assists.
"I don't think the goalkeeper saw it because there were so many people in front of the goal. I didn't even see the ball go in the goal."
Severn first-year coach Anne Eisinger said, "They played a great game and they're a tough team."
Christy Cole had seven saves for the Admirals, and sophomore and first-year goalie Eleanor Cordi had four saves and recorded her second shutout of the season.
"Our defense is really getting better," Bloodsworth said. "Virginia Hodges [center back] did a great job breaking up plays."
Hodges and Jeanne Lekin warded off a late Severn attack as Severn forwards Brenna Ryan and Elizabeth Duncan kept the ball within scoring range inside the Reds' 25-yard line for the last three minutes of the game.