Don’t ever count out the Severna Park field hockey team.
That’s the lesson Quince Orchard learned Monday night as Severna Park (15-3) won its record 17th state title with a 2-0 victory in the Class 4A championship at South River High School in Edgewater. It was the Falcons’ third straight state title. The previous two came at the 3A level.
Senior forward Hayley Rausch and sophomore midfielder Casey Pohlmeyer each scored for Severna Park in the second half. This victory came after a rough regular season, which included three losses for the first time in recent memory. The Falcons were left out of the Anne Arundel County title game for the first time.
“This win was definitely different than most,” said Shelton, who is 479-53-9 in 32 seasons at the helm. “We lost three times and a lot of people thought we couldn’t get back here again. But, this is a special group of girls.”
The goal by Rausch, which came less than two minutes into the second half, was the perfect ending to her career. The University of New Hampshire-bound senior missed all of last season with a knee injury. She came back this season to score 22 goals and dish out four assists.
“I missed out on winning last year so getting to play and win this time around really meant a lot to me,” Rausch said.
Severna Park’s run to the finals also allowed it to prove to its chief rivals that it is still the team to beat in Maryland. The Falcons gained a measure of revenge in the playoffs as they avenged regular season losses to Broadneck and South River by beating them in the 4A East regional semifinals and finals, respectively.
“A lot of people counted us out, but we proved them wrong,” Falcons senior defender Julie Gardner said. “There are a lot more quality teams in the state then there used to be. We really earned this title, as we had to beat a lot of great teams to get here. This is just such an amazing experience.”
Quince Orchard’s loss meant the Montgomery County school came up short in its attempt to repeat as 4A champions. The Cougars posted three shutouts in their run to the finals, outscoring their opponents, 7-0. Monday’s game also marked the final game for Jenna Ries as Quince Orchard’s coach. She’s leaving the program after 10 seasons to concentrate on running her club program, “Champions of Tomorrow.”
