The late afternoon shadows that crept across the field at Goucher College yesterday resembled the doom surrounding the Francis Scott Key field hockey team after Pocomoke blitzed the Eagles, 3-0, in the state Class 1A field hockey tournament semifinals.
High-scoring Key right wing Stacey Greene sat on the field and said angrily: "You really don't want to hear what I have to say about this game. They pushed me and I pushed back and then I got yellow-carded. I'm glad I have one more year left."
Senior Key goalkeeper Missy Muller isn't as lucky as Greene.
It was her last shot at a state championship and her eyes were filled with tears.
Pocomoke unleashed 22 shots on Muller and the defending state 1A champion Eagles. At times, the Warriors fired as many as five straight on Muller, who made 15 saves.
"It was unbelievable," said Muller. "Jodi Byrd [senior Pocomoke forward] wouldn't let us get the ball out of our end of the field. She was playing great defense and offense."
Junior Gina Dean, freshman Brandi Shobe and Byrd scored goals for the Warriors, who led 1-0 at half-time.
Shobe made it 2-0 just 1:56 into the second half and Key (8-7) never recovered. In addition to getting outshot terribly, Key was on the short end of a 12-3 margin in penalty corners.
It was that kind of day for Key (outshot 22-1) and Carroll County field hockey teams yesterday at Goucher.
For the first time in the 20-year history of the state field hockey tournament, three Carroll teams lost on the same day.
North Carroll (2A), Westminster (4A) and Key had their seasons ended in a three and one-half hour stretch. Four years ago, Westminster, Liberty and Key all lost in the first round but not on the same day.
For Key yesterday, it was a matter of being overwhelmed by an Eastern Shore team that backed up its incredible stats entering the game.
Pocomoke (16-0) was unscored upon, holding a 78-0 advantage in goals in 15 games.
In the past, the Warriors have sometimes been overlooked because of the lack of top-notch competition in their area.
This season, Pocomoke coach Susan Pusey went out of her way to schedule a preseason scrimmage against 3A power Bethesda-Chevy Chase from Montgomery County. Pocomoke beat the three-time state champion Barons, 4-0.
Pocomoke's stats were so imposing this season that Key coach Mindi Wagner tried to keep the information from her players.
But Wagner said her players found out about Pocomoke last week and it might have had something to do with the Eagles' tentative play.
"We didn't go to the ball and we had no spark," said Wagner. "Their defense beat us. We weren't looking up on our passes and we passed the ball right to them."
Greene entered the game with 14 goals and three assists, but she never came close to scoring yesterday.
Byrd, a junior Olympian, said: "We played as a team and I think Stacey Greene tried to play as a person. She took herself out of the game."