The Century girls soccer team has spent the better part of this season trying to prove that a first-year team without seniors can take on all comers and triumph.
After last night's Class 2A West semifinal, visiting Glenelg needed little convincing.
Forward Lauren Schwarzmann scored twice in the first 24:12, as the host Knights, already with a Carroll County championship to their credit, defeated the Gladiators, 4-1, to advance to Thursday's regional final.
"They came out in the first 25 minutes and put a good, old-fashioned whooping on us," Glenelg coach Mike Williams said. "I was a little bit surprised by their speed, but I knew just by the schedule that Century played and the teams they had beaten that they were a legitimate team. They exposed some of our weaknesses, and they did it better than anybody all year."
Century (12-1) will travel to face Middletown, a shootout winner over No. 3 Centennial, for the right to advance to the Class 2A state semifinals. Centennial last year split the 2A title with Bethesda-Chevy Chase.
It will be a tough game, but Century coach Vanessa Ozimek said that her squad has relished the role of the unheralded upstart.
"I think part of the motivation is that this is our first year and they are members of the very first squad," Ozimek said. "They're building traditions along the way the whole season."
It didn't take them long last night to start building another.
Century dominated play for most of the first half, using its speed advantage to consistently beat Glenelg to loose balls and keep possession.
The Knights took a 1-0 lead 8:49 into the game when Megan Mills split a seam in front of the goal to feed Schwarzmann, who beat goalie Karyn Curley one-on-one for the score.
Minutes later, it was Schwarzmann again who scored, winning a ball in the corner, making a quick move to shed her defender and firing a missile from 10 yards out on the left side that found the back of the net with 15:44 to play before halftime.
Class 4A North
No. 11 Parkville 6, Woodlawn 0: Six players scored to give the Knights (12-3) a lopsided win over the Warriors (7-4) at Parkville. Jennifer Witowski had three assists for the Knights.
No. 4 Perry Hall 6, Western 0: Senior Amber Stahl scored two goals in her final home game and freshman Jessica Knight added a goal and an assist for the Gators (12-1).
Seniors Brittany Gelwicks and Catherine Vecchioni combined for Perry Hall's ninth shutout of the season.
Class 3A North
Franklin 2, Fallston 0: Senior Ashley Harris scored a goal in each half to lead the host Indians (9-3-2) over the Rams (7-5-1).
Senior Alyson Josephs made 13 saves to register her seventh shutout of the season.
No. 13 Bel Air 1, Dulaney 0: Freshman midfielder Michelle Peck took a pass from Ashley Bolling and scored about 12 minutes into the second half to give the host Bobcats (12-4) a hard-earned victory over the Lions.
Class 2A North
Towson 4, City 0: Senior Beth Kimbell scored three times and added an assist to lead the Generals (7-7) over the host Knights. Towson jumped to a 3-0 halftime lead and held on for its fourth shutout of the season.
No. 10 Eastern Tech 2, Hereford 1, OT: Freshman Kaytlyn McKay converted a cross from sophomore Erika Stimmel three minutes into overtime to give the host Mavericks (13-1-1) a victory over the Bulls in a rematch of last season's regional final, which Eastern Tech won in a shootout.
Junior Katlin Hassell made 11 saves for the Mavericks.
Class 1A North
Sparrows Point 1, Loch Raven 1 (Sparrows Pt. wins shootout, 3-2): After tying the game with less than three minutes left in regulation, junior Christine Wright ended it, converting her penalty kick past Raiders freshman goalie Rachael Wisner to send the visiting Pointers to the shootout win over the Raiders (11-5).