Staked with a three-goal lead in Saturday's Baltimore County championship game, Hereford sophomore Kylie Nause couldn't help but think back to a year ago.
In last year's county title game, the Bulls built a seven-goal lead, only to watch it slip away in a loss to Catonsville.
"We didn't want to have a repeat of last year, definitely," Nause said.
This time, the midfielder made certain, finishing with three goals and two assists to help No. 15 Hereford hold off a late charge by No. 12 Dulaney in a 10-9 win at Towson High.
After watching the Lions rally to tie the game at 8 on the third goal of the day from Annie Sachs, Hereford (14-1) – which beat Dulaney, 12-6, last month – took control with back-to-back goals, including one on a free position attempt from Nause, with 15:16 left.
"When they tied it we knew we had to pick it up," Nause said. "We knew we had to pick up our intensity, because they weren't going to let down."
Freshman Libby May also added a pair of goals and freshman Isabella Peterson had a goal and two assists for the Bulls, who have won eight in a row heading into the regional playoffs, scheduled to begin Wednesday.
I have a lot of younger kids on the team who are starting to make things happen at the right time," Hereford coach Anne Ensor said. "As you head into the playoffs you get a lull week, so to have an intense game where the kids feel that pressure, you can't replicate that in practice."
The Bulls looked like they might run away early, building a 6-3 lead after the first 10 minutes when Isabella Peterson scored unassisted.
The Lions (12-3) fought back. Trailing 7-4, Dulaney closed the half with three of the final four goals, pulling to within one when Sachs took a pass 10 yards in front, faked right, spun left and fired into the back of the net with 1:36 left.
Then, just 20 seconds into the second half, the Lions pulled even on a goal from Sachs after Dulaney won the opening draw.
For a team that had handled the Lions during the regular season, the tie score seemed to be a wake-up call.
May quickly put Hereford back on top off a feed from Peterson. Then, moments after goalie Cassidy Nozemack saved an attempt from Maggie Kelly on a free position, the Bulls added to their lead on a free position goal from Nause, extending their lead to 10-8.
Once again staked with a lead, Dulaney was content to burn the clock, keeping possession for large swaths of time.
Kelly's goal with 7:41 left in regulation cut the lead to 10-9, and the Lions nearly tied it when a shot trickled past Nozemack in the final seconds.
"The girls definitely worked hard to get back in the game," Lions coach Kristi Korrow said. "They executed some of the things we talked about in timeouts and halftime. But Hereford played a great game today. They definitely played smart and took advantage of mistakes."
Despite the loss, Korrow said the close game was a welcome opportunity heading into the postseason.
"This will probably be our best learning experience going into playoffs," Korrow said.