By Soraya Nadia McDonald and Dave Yanovitz
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, November 4, 2008

On the eve of election night, Quince Orchard was making a strong case for experience.

The 2007 Maryland 4A girls' soccer champion moved a step closer toward defending its title with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Whitman last night in the 4A West Region final, and it did so with the help of a player who made the difference in last year's title game.

Senior goalkeeper Amanda Whitney made a one-on-one save early in the second overtime to give the Cougars their game-winning opportunity.

Once Whitney cleared the ball, Julie Starnes passed to Ele Margelos, who sent a left-footed shot into the net. "If it wasn't for my goalkeeper making a clutch save, we wouldn't have won that game," Quince Orchard Coach Peg Keiller said by telephone. "There were a lot of chances down the stretch" for Whitman to score. . . .

In the 3A West Region, No. 3 Bethesda-Chevy Chase notched a 2-1 win over defending 3A champion Urbana, a team the Barons lost to in the region final last year on penalty kicks.

"Our seniors this year had a little extra energy tonight to not have Urbana end our season two years in a row," B-CC Coach Rob Kurtz said.

Senior Collins Mbu scored five minutes into the game and defending state champion Magruder held off a strong, second-half offensive push from No. 8 Churchill to win the 4A West Region title, 1-0.

Mbu hit a strong shot from just outside the box that beat goalie Noah Sees to the lower left side of the net, and Magruder goalie Steve Magliaro made several fine saves over the next 75 minutes to send the Colonels (10-2-5) to the state tournament for the third time in four years.

"We ground it out, as we have done in the past," Magruder Coach Steve Pfeil said by telephone. . . .

Sophomore Patrick Sullivan had a goal and three assists and continued his personal dominance of county rival River Hill as No. 5 Marriotts Ridge (16-0) knocked off the defending state champs, 4-0, to win the 2A South Region title. In three games against No. 6 River Hill, Sullivan has five goals and three assists.

Senior Phil Martinelli scored two goals to increase his season total to 15, and Josh Stover also scored for Marriotts Ridge, which earned its first state tourney bid. . . .

Warren Naylor scored his first career varsity goal as Tuscarora won the 3A West Region title, 1-0, over Bethesda-Chevy Chase, advancing to states for the first time in the program's five-year history. Tuscarora (8-6-2) neutralized B-CC standout Ethan White by marking him with Frank Carvajal and Michael Greene. . . .

Fallston scored on a penalty kick 40 seconds into the 3A East Region final against Reservoir, took a two-goal lead in the 50th minute and held off a late Gators charge to win, 3-2. . . .

Pat Houck scored on a penalty kick in the 55th minute, and No. 7 Severna Park beat Leonardtown in the 4A East Region final for the second straight season, winning 1-0.