Boys soccer: Applegate helps Marriotts Ridge win third straight state title

Marriotts Ridge's Nick Applegate called it "by far" the biggest goal of his soccer career.

Considering how he got it and what was on the line, it may stay that way for quite awhile.

In a Class 2A state championship game still scoreless just over two minutes out of halftime, Applegate found himself all alone with the ball on his foot just outside the box. Instinctively he turned, fired toward goal and then watched history unfold.

The ball looped over Fallston goalie Robbie Kansler before falling just under the crossbar, providing the only goal in a 1-0 Marriotts Ridge victory at UMBC Stadium, in Catonsville, that gave the Mustangs their third straight state title.

"I turned around and the ball was just at my foot, so I just turned and shot," said Applegate, whose goal was his seventh of the season. "I knew it was important to start off the second half with a goal and the goalie was off the line."

Fallston's Kansler, who finished with nine saves, said Applegate caught him a little off guard with the quick shot.

"I was out a little too far and it was a good shot … I couldn't do anything about it," he said.

Fallston's hopes of a comeback were dealt a serious blow just two minutes, 18 seconds after Applegate's goal as defender Zack Esser was issued a red card and ejected from the game for a dangerous tackle from behind.

With the Cougars playing down a man the rest of the way, Marriotts Ridge's defense was able to make the one goal stand up.

"I wasn't terribly worried when they scored, I thought we had the ability to come back," Fallston coach Chris Hoover said. "It was just when we did get the red card, it really shifts a lot around and takes another player out of the attack.

"In the end we could not find a way to slip a ball in there … and we had chances."

Two of Marriotts Ridge's championships in this three-year run have come at Fallston's expense — the Mustangs also beat the Cougars, 1-0, in overtime, in 2009.

The first half of this year's championship contest was played primarily in the midfield, although there were a handful of quality chances for both sides.

None was more dangerous than a Marriotts Ridge shot four minutes that found the net before being waived off by the referee because of a foul.

"The past couple games, we've been able to score really early in the first half, probably first 10 minutes," junior Brad Martinelli said. "So yeah there was a lot of frustration not being able to score really quickly (tonight)."

The game went into halftime scoreless, however, Marriotts Ridge took control as soon as the teams stepped back onto the field for the second half.

Applegate's score marked the fifth time in as many games this postseason that the Mustangs have scored first.

"I didn't tell the boys this, but we haven't won a game where we've given up the first goal all year. But we've won every game we've scored first," Marriotts Ridge coach Kevin Flynn said. "So getting the early goal (in the second half) was a big deal."

Even after picking up the red card, Fallston didn't roll over. The Cougars kept pressing and had a couple near misses down the stretch, including a free kick by Chris Lievendag that was deflected into the crossbar by Marriotts Ridge goalie Pat Moore, who finished with four saves.

"I knew it was borderline between crossbar and in and was hoping for the best," Lievendag said.

With the victory, Marriotts Ridge becomes the first county team to win three consecutive state titles since River Hill won four in a row from 2002 to 2005. And for a Mustangs team that started just two seniors most of the year, it was quite a run.

"Through the run of the playoffs, they've played as well as any of the teams the last two years," Flynn said. "I think this team grew a lot this year. We weren't playoff ready at the beginning of the year, but they certainly were at the end."

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