Dulaney girls lacrosse roars back from early deficit to defeat Marriotts Ridge, 6-4, advance to 3A state championship
Dulaney girls lacrosse erased a three-gal deficit to beat Marriotts Ridge and advance to its second straight state championship game.
Dulaney girls lacrosse coach Kristi Korrow fell to the turf and laid down, feeling both pride and relief. The leader of the eighth-seeded Lions soaked in the moment as her team roared back from a three-goal second-half deficit to defeat No. 4 Marriotts Ridge, 6-4, in Saturday afternoon’s Class 3A state semifinal.
Dulaney advances to the state championship for a second consecutive season, this time in 3A, after reaching the 4A state championship last year. They’ll face No. 2 seed Severna Park at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Stevenson University’s Mustang Stadium.
“I’m just so proud of them,” Korrow said. “We’ve come a long way this season. They’re able to gut things out that I think at times are just unexpected. They never give up. They have gained confidence in each other and the way that they trust one another is just unbelievable.”
Marriotts Ridge goalie Kaelyn Krozy and Dulaney goalie Torunn Spencer each had strong first halves, but Krozy and the Mustangs had the better end of things, holding a 4-1 lead midway through the third quarter.
Held without a goal for over 30 minutes, Dulaney found new life after Marriotts Ridge senior Chrish Vaxmonsky was awarded her second yellow card, disqualifying her from the game.
Dulaney (13-6) scored three goals in 58 seconds on the ensuing player advantage. The Lions then scored the go-ahead goal shortly after the card expired.
Senior attacker Elena Emde started the run and got the confidence and momentum flowing. She found fellow senior Anna Jones for another tally to bring the Lions within one. Emma Center scored the tying goal and Heidi Schmidt followed with the go-ahead strike.
“That one goal, it really got the confidence within us,” Emde said. “That one goal gave us momentum. There was never a moment where we felt like we couldn’t win. Even when we were down 4-1, we knew this was our game. We knew we were holding them on defense and we just had so much confidence.”
While the Lions’ offense found its groove, the defense also buckled down. Marriotts Ridge (14-4) had a player advantage for the first 1:21 of the fourth quarter. However, Dulaney’s defense anchored by Spencer, the goalie, hunkered down and prevented a potential game-tying goal.
Shortly after, senior attacker Mia Connor scored the Lions’ fifth straight goal, pushing their advantage to two with 9:02 remaining. Marriotts Ridge’s offense desperately searched for answers without their senior leader, Vaxmonsky. The stout Dulaney defense proved up to the task, holding the Mustangs scoreless the final 19:28 of the game.
“I’m just really proud of them, given the situation,” Marriotts Ridge coach Amanda Brady said. “Having one of our senior leaders off the field for pretty much the entire second half, every single one of them was still fighting. Every single one of them was giving us what we needed. Shots didn’t fall in the second half and it was just unfortunate.”
Saturday afternoon offered another glimpse into the Lions’ consistent growth this season. Spencer finished with seven saves and played with the composure of a veteran. Much of Dulaney’s growth can be attributed to its hard schedule.
“It really helped us a lot,” Spencer said. “We took a tough loss to Glenelg, but I feel they really helped us prepare for this game. They take really hard shots and that helped me see the ball better in these games. I’m just so glad that we did play those tough teams to help us be where we are now.”
The Lions also faced challenging private school opponents in Mercy and Maryvale Prep in addition to Glenelg. While the Lions didn’t win those games, they learned valuable lessons to take with them.
“Honestly looking back, I think that was the best part of our season,” Emde said. “We didn’t know it then, but that’s what prepared us for the competition we face now. Playing nationally ranked private schools, it was tough, but part of the process of what got us here.”
For many of the Lions, the postgame celebration and jovial sprint toward their goalie wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. But now that they’re back to compete for the ultimate prize, there’s only one thing on their mind: winning.
“Early in the season we had several losses in a row and then we flipped the switch at the midpoint of the season,” Korrow said. “We’ve flipped another switch in playoffs during the 10-game winning streak. We knew 3A was packed and that it would be a tough road to get back to the state finals. They just accepted the challenge and believed they could do it, so I’m very excited to be back there.”
Dulaney — 1 0 4 1 — 6
Marriotts Ridge — 2 1 1 0 — 4
Goals: D- Sarah Crowley, Elena Emde, Anna Jones, Emma Center, Heidi Schmidt, Mia Connor; MR- Rachel Harper 2, Chrish Vaxmonsky, Bella Boats. Assists: D- Emde, Connor. Saves: D- Spencer 7; MR- Kaelyn Krozy 8.