The Fallston girls lacrosse team looked anything but perfect during the latter half of this season, struggling to find its game in the midst of an uncharacteristic four-game losing streak.
In Friday's Class 2A-1A state semifinal, however, the Cougars could do little wrong against overmatched Sparrows Point.
Senior Katie Donhauser scored six goals and junior Zoe Hurlburt added three goals and two assists, helping Fallston storm out of the gate to score eight of the first nine goals on its way to a 17-5 win at Northeast.
"We really had to fight hard to get here, and every battle we had to take it one game at a time," Donhauser said. "I think it prepared us pretty well to get here."
Fallston (12-6) advances to the Class 2A-1A final, to be played either Tuesday or Wednesday at Stevenson University. There, the Cougars will face No. 3 Manchester Valley, the two-time defending champion, in a rematch of the 2014 title game.
It will mark the fifth trip to the finals for the Cougars, who will be shooting for their third title, and first since 2012.
To get there, Fallston controlled nearly every aspect of the game against Sparrows Point (11-6), outshooting the Pointers, 27-14, while dominating draws and time of possession.
"The biggest difference, I think, was depth," Fallston coach Michael McTeague said. "A lot of the middle of the field exposes itself when you're not as deep. Their top girls were excellent, but I think most of our girls have a little bit more experience top to bottom."
That was evident throughout. Tied at 1 early, the Cougars reeled off eight straight goals, keeping the Pointers off the board for nearly 21 minutes.
Time and again, Fallston scored easy goals by hitting cutters flying toward the net, then forced turnovers at the other end. Kelly Emge, Anna Dennison and Izzy Dallam each added a pair of goals for the victors.
Sparrows Point, which got three goals and an assist from senior Mia DeRuggiero, also suffered a bit of bad luck, hitting the pipes four times in its first seven shots.
For Sparrows Point, the evening was a learning experience, of sorts.
"It definitely gives us a couple things to work on, mainly conditioning," Pointers coach Theresa Driscoll said. "We didn't really run too many plays on offense. We need to be a little bit more physical on the ground balls and winning the draw."
Fallston has outscored playoff opponents 71-22.
"It's nice to be relaxed, but I would've liked to have seen us pushed at both ends of the field, just so you don't get complacent," McTeague said. "Our last couple games have been similar. I'm not going to apologize for our region, but it's not been the strongest run that we've had to go through."
Even so, he believes his team is up for the challenge it will surely face from Manchester Valley in the final.
"They're just really tough when you watch what they've done throughout the year," McTeague said. "We're going to have to be at our best. If we're at our best, anything can happen."