The top-ranked Fallston field hockey team has high expectations.
So high that even after a dominating 1-0 victory over Richard Montgomery of Rockville in yesterday afternoon's Class 3A state semifinals at Goucher College, coach Alice Puckett thought her Cougars were capable of much more.
"I just felt like we weren't very sharp," said Puckett, who, in her 20th season as coach, improved her record to 251-49-16. "We didn't dodge at the right time, pass at the right time, a couple balls sitting next to the goalie's pads and we kind of watched them. I'm just glad we won, because we were definitely beatable today."
Fallston (16-1) will go for its second straight state championship, fourth in the past five years and 10th overall when it faces South Carroll in the Class 3A final Friday at 2:45 p.m. at Goucher. The Cavaliers defeated Great Mills in the other 3A semifinal, 1-0.
The Cougars dominated the Rockets (6-6-1) from start to finish. Fallston outshot Richard Montgomery 13-0 and had a 12-4 advantage in penalty corners.
The Rockets, who had won three straight games after a three-week layoff as a result of the sniper shootings in the Washington region, were held without a penalty corner for 54 minutes.
Fallston especially dominated the first half, outshooting the Rockets 9-0.
After several chances that went wide or were stopped by goalie Jennifer Ruggeri (six saves), the Cougars broke through with 2:35 remaining in the half.
On Fallston's ninth shot of the half, link Kim Ziegler knocked home the rebound of a shot taken by leading scorer Riki Reuben after a kick save by Ruggeri.
"They were crowding us a lot on the right side," said Ziegler, who has eight goals and seven assists this season. "We were trying to work it across to Riki on the left. But it was getting a little tough and frustrating, so we really needed that goal."
Fallston continued to hold a decisive edge in play in the second half but only registered four more shots. Reuben, who took seven of the Cougars' 13 shots for the game, had several chances in the second half but missed wide.
Richard Montgomery had its best chance to tie the game with six minutes remaining when it earned four penalty corners in a two-minute stretch. But the Rockets did not get off a shot, and Fallston held the ball in the Richard Montgomery half of the field for the final three minutes.