A hat trick had been the norm late in the regular season for the Chesapeake High field hockey team, with senior Monica Gibson getting two in the team's last three games.
But a hat trick from Queen Anne's Wendy Hahn led the visiting Lions (7-5-1) to a 5-3 victory over the Cougars (8-5) in a Region IV, Class 4A playoff game yesterday. It was the first time the school has advanced into the region finals in the past 10 years. The Lions will travel to Severna Park (12-1) at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
"She [Hahn] has been saving it," Queen Anne's coach Martha Davidson said of her senior's scoring. "We have been waiting for her to come on all season."
In the Region IV final, Queen Anne's faces Severna Park, which defeated Broadneck, 3-0, in the other semifinal yesterday. Last week, the Lions stunned Severna Park, 1-0, ending the school's 35-game regular-season winning streak. Davidson is not predicting another upset. She just says her squad will be ready for the Falcons again.
"I think it will be a very good matchup because they didn't dominate us last time," Davidson said.
Gibson put the Cougars ahead 1-0 on with her 14th goal of the season at 7:05 of the first half.
Queen Anne's scored three straight goals, including two from Hahn, within the next 12 minutes for a 3-1 advantage. Kelly Roth scored Queen Anne's first goal at 8:11 and added an assist on one of Hahn's first-half scores.
"This is not usually what we're capable of doing," Chesapeake coach Jerry Raab said. "We just did not play at our best."
Davidson, whose team was ahead 3-2 at the half, warned her squad during the intermission about preparing for a Chesapeake second-half comeback. The last time the two schools played (a 3-2 Lions victory), Queen Anne's led 3-0.
Early in the second half, Chesapeake displayed a quick offensive burst, with three corners in the first two minutes of the half. But the team failed to score.