Their most recent game had settled nothing, which made last night's rematch even more intriguing.
Less than two weeks after playing to a tie with the Anne Arundel County boys soccer championship on the line, No. 5 Severna Park and No. 9 Chesapeake met again in the Class 4A East Region semifinals.
And this time, Chesapeake senior midfielder Blake Moore made sure there would be a winner -- and without a shootout.
Moore scored on a penalty kick with 3:10 left in the second overtime to give the host team a 2-1 victory and a berth in Tuesday's final against Annapolis.
The Panthers defeated Old Mill, 2-0, in the other semifinal last night.
Senior J.T. Carhart committed a hand-ball violation on a corner kick by senior Josh Fenwick that was headed for the right corner of the net. Moore then lined a shot inside the right post, giving Chesapeake (13-2-1) its first win over Severna Park (13-2-1).
Carhart had scored the only goal in Severna Park's 1-0 victory over the Cougars back on Oct. 6. And another close game was anticipated by both coaches last night.
"The one thing you want to guard against is having that odd game where you let down," said Cougars coach Earl Eckhardt. "There's not a hair's difference between these two teams. They're the two best in the county, no doubt about that."
Senior midfielder Keith Hare had given Chesapeake a 1-0 lead with 5:21 left before halftime, collecting a loose ball in front of the net and lining a shot past Falcons goalkeeper Chris Rippel.
The goal was especially satisfying for Hare because he injured his hip in the last game against Severna Park after colliding with Rippel. Initially, it was believed he had fractured his pelvic bone, but further tests revealed nothing more than a bad bruise.
Junior forward Scott Vane tied the score, 1-1, about nine minutes into the second half when he put a slow roller inside the left post.
Otherwise, spectacular goaltending on both sides highlighted play.
Chesapeake's John Smith denied senior Kelley Harris twice during a frantic sequence midway through the first half, but junior Grant Shaklee nearly scored off the second deflection when he missed to the left with a hard liner.
Rippel was equally outstanding, leaping to tip a shot from junior Ryan Frommelt over the crossbar with about 13 minutes remaining before halftime, and then diving to redirect another blast.