Maryland 4A Girls' Soccer Championship
Leonardtown Too Tough for Quince Orchard
Raiders Lose Their Shutout but Win The State Crown
Leonardtown's Emily Gehrig, left, is greeted by her teammates after scoring early in the second half.
(By Joel Richardson For The Washington Post)
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Sunday, November 16, 2008; Page D08
CATONSVILLE, Md., Nov. 15 -- All season, opposing offenses failed to find openings in Leonardtown's defense.
Saturday night's 4A state championship game was no different.
Quince Orchard managed just four shots, and its only goal came in the waning moments, well after Leonardtown's victory was assured. The only difference between this game and most was that it wasn't a shutout, as the Raiders had to settle for a 3-1 win at UMBC Stadium.
"We always want to get a shutout," senior goalkeeper Dana O'Neill said, "but we didn't let it affect us."
Leonardtown has earned two state titles in the past three years, the other also coming against Quince Orchard in 2006.
The Raiders' defensive dominance this season stemmed from a group of players that had been together for several years, some of them as far back as youth leagues, and a defensive philosophy called "pressure, balance, cover."
Senior back Alex Evitts explained: "First defender, step to the ball, high pressure, try not to let them turn. The second defender, cover. The third, balance, so if it gets played out, someone's always there."
Raiders Coach Jennifer Henderson confirmed that this team, the first undefeated squad in Leonardtown history, executed that team-defense concept as well as any she has had.
"They are true defensive unit," she said. "They don't play as individuals. They play as a unit and that's why they're so successful."
The Cougars (14-3), who won last year's championship, had two shots in each half, the final one resulting in a goal for junior Ele Margelos after the ball squirted free from the Raiders' goalkeeper.
That prevented Leonardtown (17-0-1) from recording its 16th shutout of the season, but it did nothing to diminish the job done by the Raiders' starting backfield -- senior Alex Evitts and juniors Taelar Errington and Rachel Eversole -- and a midfield that rarely allowed the Cougars to gain any momentum going forward.
On offense, Leonardtown opened the scoring in the 42nd minute on a play that started rather innocuously, with the ball finding junior forward Johanna Rambo in front of the box, her back to the goal.
