Some of the South Carroll fans spent part of halftime worrying. They had seen Allie Armitage score just before the first half appeared to end, but wondered why the scoreboard hadn't changed for several minutes. That proved to be the only suspense in this Class 3A state field hockey semifinal.
It turned out that Armitage's goal came with three seconds left, proving more than enough for No. 11 South Carroll to secure a 1-0 victory over Great Mills and a trip to the state final yesterday at Goucher College.
South Carroll (14-0-1) advanced to play top-ranked Fallston, also at Goucher College, at 2:45 p.m. Friday. The defending state champion Cougars beat Richard Montgomery in the other 3A semifinal yesterday. South Carroll last won the state title in 1992 - and current coach Erin Soulen was a member of that squad.
The Cavaliers dominated this game from the start. They held a large advantage in shots (9-2), penalty corners (11-3) and possession. Much of the game was spent either in the Great Mills end or inside the Hornets' circle. The St. Mary's County team could only get the ball over midfield a handful of times in the entire game.
"I feel great," Soulen said. "Let's just hope we can come out and have this type of performance again on Friday."
South Carroll found numerous scoring chances in the first half, most coming from the sticks of Liz Fries, Armitage and Kerrie Wuenschel. But the Cavaliers had problems finishing until the final moments of the first half. That's when Armitage took a Fries pass and blasted a shot past goalie Amber Cutchember from a tough angle near the goal line for her 10th goal this season.
"I just saw the open goal, and I just tried to send it there," Armitage said.
South Carroll kept the pressure on in the second half. The Cavaliers had just one shot after the break, but they kept possession throughout.
The team's relentless defense, however, proved to be the key. South Carroll beat the Hornets (14-3-1) to the ball time and again, forming a type of wall around it and stopping any Great Mills scoring chances.
"South Carroll did a good job of clogging up our passing lanes," said Great Mills coach Michelle Richmond. "It was the amount of people they put around [the ball]. We tried to plow it through them and [couldn't]."
The Cavaliers agreed to enjoy the victory for a while but expected to have a tough practice tomorrow in preparation for what should be a difficult contest against the defending champions.
"I've never felt anything more gratifying," Fries said. "We had no idea what we were up against today, so we just decided to tough it out."