Lauren Volk scored two goals on breakaways to lead Loch Raven over North Harford, 2-1,in the Class 2A, Region II field hockey championship yesterday at Loch Raven.
The victory sends the No. 9 Raiders (11-0-2) into the state semifinals for the first time since 1989. They will play Monday at 1 p.m. at Goucher College.
Yesterday, North Harford, a much better team than its 5-7-1 record indicates, gave the Raiders a good tune-up for state competition. Both teams played a similar style of hockey with quick forwards, strong defensive units and good goalies.
Loch Raven keeper Cho Toung faced the first test when Chrissy Pardew broke down the right wing and fired the first shot. Toung came out for the save and Loch Raven's defense quickly sent the ball the other way.
Volk took the ball near midfield and carried it down the right wing into the circle. She cranked up and fired a shot across in front of Hawks keeper Kristin Archer into the far corner of the cage. Archer never had a chance at it.
Three minutes into the second half, Volk broke a 1-1 tie on the same play.
"I get a lot of fast breaks," said Volk, "but I can't always get the shots off as well as I did today."
After Volk's goal with 20:12 left in the first half, North Harford went on the attack. The Hawks pressured Loch Raven most of the rest of the half, outshooting them, 6-4.
Pardew tied the game on a feed from Melissa Schreiber with 8:12 left in the first half.
Archer's aggressive play kept the Hawks close. She repeatedly came out to challenge, and she upset two more Volk breakaways by clearing the ball before Volk could shoot. She finished with five saves.
"This is one of the two best games we've played all season," said North Harford coach Fran Norman. "We moved the ball and did everything right between the 25s. Sometimes it's the bounce of the ball when you get inside, and it bounced Loch Raven's way today."