Severna Park Takes Broadneck in Boys and Girls Lacrosse

Boys

The Severna Park boys lacrosse team won over Broadneck 8-5.

Down six to begin the fourth quarter, the Bruins (3-2 in county play) stormed back to cut the lead to three, but could not complete the late comeback against their in-county rivals.

"They got the best of us on facing off," Broadneck coach Clay White said. "That was a key, we didn't do well facing off." Severna Park won 11 face-offs compared to six for Broadneck.

A potent but very patient Falcon attack worked the Broadneck defenders, passing around until a good shot opened up. Severna Park entered Lawrence E. Knight Stadium not only arch rivals of the Bruins, but with the target of being the defending Maryland State champions.

The Bruins nearly struck with the games first goal midway through the first quarter, but Brooks Wiggans effort clanged off the crossbar. Severna Park would soon take the lead, scoring twice before the end of the quarter.

The Falcons would add two more in the second quarter, with an attempt at a fifth just before the half. A shot from Severna Park's Justen Kirchenheiter ricocheted off the crossbar with 18 seconds to play, as the Bruins went down at halftime 4-0.

Severna Park would score twice more in the third quarter, before senior Mark Brashears would finally put the Bruins on the board, bringing the score to 6-1 as the third quarter ended.

Another quick tally from the Falcons finally seemed to awaken the Broadneck attack. Sophomore Zach Franco scored, and Brashears again with 9:03 left to play. 

The Bruin comeback began to look more and more possible when Antonio Mazzeo brought the score to 7-3 with just under seven minutes left. But a fourth goal from Joe Galdi of the Falcons extended the lead and ultimately shut the door on Broadneck. 

"Broadneck's a good team, but I thought we held them in check for the first half," Severna Park coach Larry Kramer said. "[We] got them in a little bit of a hole and they weren't able to dig out of it."

Senior defender Cameron Rowe finished off a full-field run with a goal, making it 8-5, but the Bruins wouldn't find the net again. 

"I was proud of how hard we came back, trying to get in it in the end," White said.

Severna Park (5-0) 2 2 2 2 - 8

Broadneck (3-2) 0 0 1 4 - 5

Girls

Severna Park girls lacrosse won over Broadneck 12-7.

The visiting Falcons were dominant in the first half, taking a 7-0 lead at halftime. After nearly 32 minutes of play, the Bruins turned in an impressive second half to make the outcome respectable.

Seven different players scored for the Falcons in the first half. 

"During the first half, all cylinders were running, from offense to defense to transition," Severna Park coach Carin Peterson said. 

Severna Park poured on the pressure to the Bruin defense, scoring seven times and drawing eight first-half saves from Broadneck goalie Julia Burns, who finished with 21 saves on the night. The Lady Bruins only caused the Falcons Emily Mata to make two saves in the half.

"You can't play like that in the first half and expect to win against a team like Severna Park," Broadneck coach Karen Tengwall said.

After the Falcons made it 8-0, the Lady Bruins finally awoke.

"I was really proud of my girls and how they were able to react and change their game in the second half," Tengwall said.

With just over 17 minutes to play, sophomore Aislinn Probst ended the Broadneck drought. From there on out, the Lady Bruins outscored their opponents 7-4.

"[In the] second half I only had defense. Our offense was just turnover after turnover," Peterson said of her team. "They weren't playing smart." 

Senior Paige Duncan headlined the resurgence, scoring twice and assisting on a Logan McCarthy goal. While the Bruins won the second half, they were not able to win the game. Severna Park's strong first half turned out to be the difference on Thursday, eventually winning the game 12-7.

"When they put it all together, they're dangerous," Peterson said. "When they go back to their old habits, they're beatable. In the second half they showed they're beatable."

Broadneck will need to recall their second half play and turn it into a full 50 minutes on Tuesday, when they travel to play at Annapolis High School. The boys will play first, at 5 p.m., while the Lady Bruins are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Severna Park (5-0) 7 5 - 12

Broadneck (4-1) 0 7 - 7