After No. 3-ranked Mount Hebron used an overwhelming second-half rally to beat No. 2 Bryn Mawr yesterday, its players were hoping their 9-5 win was just Part 1 of the Revenge of the Vikings.

Yesterday's victory, led by Bridget Frande's three goals and a stingy defense all around, avenged last year's 13-9 loss to the Mawrtians.

Next up for Mount Hebron (1-0) is Tuesday afternoon's rematch at No. 1 Roland Park. Last year, the Vikings lost, 15-11, to the Reds after squandering a seven-goal lead.

"This [win] gives us momentum," said Vikings All-Metro midfielder Lauren Kickham, "but we have to stay focused and concentrate on what's coming up next. Playing the private schools, we like to challenge ourselves and these are great teams."

"Being a public school, it's a real honor for us to be able to play them," said Vikings defender Becca Ferrell, "and to beat them is really exciting. It's a real confidence builder. It's definitely a great way to start the season."

The Vikings' second-half yesterday certainly was great.

After rushing their offense and getting caught in Bryn Mawr's transition game in the first half, the Vikings found themselves down 3-1 at the break. Once the Vikings began to work their set offense patiently, however, the game turned around.

Less than five minutes into the second half, Ferrell scored on a pass from Annie Collins to spark a five-goal Vikings run.

"We were doing well on defense," said Ferrell. "We just needed to get the offense together, settle the ball and don't force."

With 12: 50 left in the half, Frande scored a free-position goal to give the Vikings a 6-3 edge. She and Lauren Kickham scored two goals each in the run.

Less than two minutes later, Tara Hardiman cut the lead to 6-4, but the Mawrtians attempt at a rally fell short. The Vikings answered with three straight goals. Alyssa Trocher put the finishing touch on an 8-1 run with 54 seconds left in the game.

The Vikings also did a great job with their isolation plays, scoring four goals that way.

As the Vikings began to show patience, the Mawrtians did the opposite. They turned the ball over more in the second half, and their turnovers led directly to three Vikings' scores during their five-goal spurt.

"They put a lot of pressure on us all over the field," said Mawrtians defender Elizabeth Knight. "We were just trying to figure things out and we felt very hurried."

In the second half, the Mawrtians (0-1) managed only two shots against the stellar Vikings line defense of Ferrell, Jill Carr and Kristin Lucido. They didn't allow the Mawrtians a shot for nearly 14 minutes of the half and didn't allow the second one -- a goal by Meredith Goodell -- until the final minute.

Pub Date: 3/25/99