Calvert Hall's Ben Pardew and Nick Gill both had a lot of success against McDonogh this season.
Pardew, a striker, scored three game-winning goals against the Eagles, including one that gave the top-ranked Cardinals a 2-1 overtime victory yesterday at UMBC, and their sixth Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship in the 11 years of the league's existence.
Gill held McDonogh's All-American forward/halfback Brian Yi scoreless in three games and to just five shots overall - none yesterday.
"This feels like a dream," said Gill, a marking back. "Brian is definitely the hardest player in the league to guard."
Calvert Hall (19-0-2) is the first A Conference team to go unbeaten and untied in the league (18-0). This is the Cardinals' fifth overall undefeated season.
Pardew scored both goals yesterday and had six in the three games against McDonogh this season for a total of 15.
Yesterday's game-winner came with 2:50 left in the first 10-minute overtime, and it was a sliding shot flicked off the outside of his right foot to the far post. Pardew knocked down a 10-yard pass from Sid Blevins with his chest, turned left and stepped in front of a defender to create the opportunity.
"I never had to work so hard in my life," Pardew said. "They [McDonogh] played the hardest I've ever seen a team play. For us, it was all team. I just put the finishing touch on."
Pardew was in Calvert Hall coach Andy Moore's doghouse at halftime of a scoreless tie.
"I yelled at Ben because I didn't think he was working hard enough," Moore said. "I told him to put us on his back and carry us to a championship. I felt he could take McDonogh's back line. It was only a matter of time. He worked back more for the ball in the second half, rather than waiting for a ball to run onto."
Third-ranked McDonogh (19-5-2), playing without starting goalkeeper Alex Horwath, who was sidelined because of complications from a concussion, tied it with 1:03 to play. After Cardinals goalkeeper Greg Boone punched out a ball, Mike Marchiano kicked it in from 12 yards out.
"This is a remarkable achievement for the kids and is due to their mental toughness and desire," Moore said. "It's hard to stay focused in front of a rowdy crowd like this. We looked more to Ryan Callinan in the second half and his crosses created some corners and free kicks for us."
Said McDonogh coach Steve Nichols: "They're a good team off the ball. We're a good team on the ball. Hard work beat better soccer players. My hat is off to Andy. He's done a great job with this team. They always do the little things to win. They beat us off the ball on the second goal and we don't slide over to pick it up. We disappear sometimes. They are more athletic than us and did a great job on Brian. They forced someone else to beat them."