The field hockey teams from Fallston and North Harford high schools won their respective regional championship games Wednesday and are headed to the state championship tournament.
Cougars top Patterson Mill
Up by just one goal in the final minute of Wednesday's Class 1A North Region field hockey title game, the top-seeded Fallston Cougars' Jenna Mosketti took matters into her own hands, blasting a 15-yard scorcher into the Patterson Mill net after beating two defenders in a sprint from half-field.
The goal sealed Fallston's 4-2 victory and secured the Cougars a spot in their 21st MPSSAA state field hockey tournament.
"Jenna Mosketti is an amazing player," Cougars head coach Megan Grant, who guided Fallston to a Class 2A state title in 2009, said afterward. "She plays center mid for us, and she can do so many things with the ball. To take the ball up the field and score when Patterson Mill was working so hard, and really close to tying the game up, it was a big, big play."
The goal could not have come at a better time for the host Cougars, who had watched a 3-0 lead nearly evaporate when the Huskies scored twice late in the second half.
"Patterson Mill definitely came hard," Grant said. "They did not give up, played hard throughout, and they definitely had a surge there at the end of the second half. They are a great team, and this was a great game."
After 15 minutes of back-and-forth play to start the contest, Fallston struck first when Giselle Leoni redirected a pass from Sami Carter into the Huskies' goal.
The Cougars ran up a 2-0 lead shortly after their opening goal, as Jordan Wagner score on a low-angle shot from five yards out. Fallston took its 2-0 advantage into the half-time break.
In the early minutes of the second frame, Leoni scored again, this time on an assist from Marisa Perfetti, to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Patterson Mill got its first goal of the contest with less than five minutes remaining on a brilliant solo effort from Linnea Gonzalez, who shook off three Fallston defenders after taking possession 30 yards out, and then finished with a low shot to the right side of the goal.
Fallston's lead was cut down to one soon after, when Mariel Castronova scored following a wild scramble in front of the Fallston goal.
The victory earned Fallston a spot in next Wednesday's 1A state semifinal at Franklin High School, where they will play the winner of the 1A West final between Manchester Valley and Francis Scott Key. That game will begin at 7 p.m.
Hawks best Hereford
The North Harford Hawks took a second straight Class 3A North Region field hockey title Wednesday night, defeating the top-seeded Hereford Bulls, 2-1, at Hereford.
With the victory, the seventh-seeded Hawks earned a spot in the 3A state semifinal round, where they will play either Westminster or Urbana at 7 p.m. on Monday at Franklin High School.
Leading the way for the Hawks was Sarah Rinaca, who scored both of her team's goals. Rebecca Rinaca was credited with North Harford's lone assist.
In goal for North Harford, Abby Phillips came up with five saves.