SANDY SPRING -- For the third time in the last four games, North Carroll carved out a 1-0 victory, and this time it sent the Panthers to the state Class 3A championship game.

At Sherwood High School last night, the Panthers (11-5-2) scored in the third minute of the second half and made it stand up for a decision over Bel Air (15-2-2).

North Carroll now moves on to play Leonardtown (16-2) for the state championship Saturday at North County High School in Linthicum.

Before last night's game, Bel Air coach Bill Zimmerman, a 13-year veteran, had cautioned his players about Amy Bromwell and her long throw-ins. They had won several earlier games that way, and she got another one here.

Two minutes into the second half, Bromwell, a sophomore, had a throw-in that eluded a Bel Air defender and wound up on the foot of Danielle Shearer who put the ball just inside the left post and just out of reach of a diving Lindsay Bugda.

Backed by 13 shutouts, this was only the seventh goal the senior had allowed.

"You can't punch it [the ball] out; you have to keep it away from her," Zimmerman said. "I thought we outplayed them about two-thirds of the game, but we gave her the ball. We needed to cover."

Of her play, Bromwell said, "I was focused on helping control the middle and on my throw-ins. And when Stephanie [Rogers] dropped back to help in the second half, it was a boost because it gave us another defender."

Excited North Carroll coach Jim MacDonald could only say, "I can't say enough about her throw-ins. She's not just walking up there. She's putting her hrart heart into it, along with her physical and mental determination."

This season, Bel Air lost its opener to Mercy, tied Sparrows Point, and won nine in a row before tying Parkville. Two more wins followed, as the Bobcats clinched the Harford County title.

In its regional, Bel Air outscored four foes, 15-1, with three shutouts.

Pub Date: 11/15/98