Boys soccer playoffs: Blazers fall to defending state champs in region final

1A West Region II final

Brunswick 3, Clear Spring 0

Defending state champion Brunswick is on another postseason roll.

On Tuesday night at Othello Regional Park in Knoxville, Md., the No. 1-seeded Railroaders (13-3-1) blanked the No. 2 Blazers (8-8) to repeat as region champions and advance to the state quarterfinals.

“They’re state champs, and they’ve got a good chance of heading there again,” Clear Spring coach Lynn Mills said. “We gave it all we could. We’ll be back at it next year.”

Marvin Vasquez Molina scored off a corner kick by Noah Paschalides to give Brunswick a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.

The Railroaders extended their advantage to 2-0 five minutes later as Logan Malone scored on an assist by Graham Putnam.

Ryan Domathoti capped the scoring with a goal in the 69th minute.

“No doubt about it, they’re well-coached and they’re a good organization,” Mills said of Brunswick. “I’m sure they’ll be right here next year in the same region final, but we’re going to see it different next year.”

1A West Region II semifinals

Clear Spring 5, Smithsburg 0

To Clear Spring coach Lynn Mills, the Blazers' offensive explosion Saturday was overdue.

"They've been getting lectured a lot because so many of our games have been 1-0 or 2-1," Mills said. "We've been missing so many opportunities."

Not on this day.

Conner Fedorko had two goals and two assists, Dillon Albowicz added a goal and an assist, and Clear Spring took a 3-0 lead in the first 18 minutes and cruised past the overmatched Leopards.

"I've been expecting them to explode on offense for a month and it hadn't happened," Mills said. "Today it did."

Clear Spring will play in the region final against defending state champion Brunswick on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Othello Park. The Railroaders defeated the Blazers 2-1 in the regular season on Oct. 4.

"We'll give it our all," Mills said.

The Blazers struck first in the eighth minute when Fedorko got his head to a corner kick and sent it back across to Ben Rankin, who put his own header into the goal.

In the 14th minute, Clear Spring counterattacked after a Smithsburg corner kick and Fedorko was sent clear on a breakaway, clinically slotting his shot home to double the lead.

"Our plan today was to keep banging the back of the goal like Coach wanted us to do," said Fedorko. "We did a good job moving as a team and working together, and we didn't let up."

In the 18th minute, Albowicz won a battle in the left corner, dribbled into a crowd in front of goal, managed to regain possession and scored to make it 3-0.

In the 31st minute, Albowicz worked his way up the left side again and fed Fedorko, who put a hard left-footed shot into the top right of the net.

Clear Spring's final strike came in the 66th minute on a corner kick that Fedorko sent rolling to Jonny Tiznado, who popped his shot into the top of the net.

Brunswick 5, Williamsport 0

The top-seeded and defending state champion Railroaders shut out the Wildcats (5-10) on Saturday night.

1A West Region II quarterfinals

Williamsport 2, Boonsboro 0

Josef Ricafort and Mason Bauer each scored a goal and Braydon Blair made nine saves as the Wildcats (5-9) shut out the visiting Warriors (2-12).

“We put a complete game together tonight,” Williamsport coach Chris Downs said. “I’m real pleased with how we handled things.”

The Wildcats broke a scoreless tie inside the final two minutes of the first half as Ricafort booted Bauer’s corner kick into the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

“We thought on that set piece there would be that space right where he was,” Downs said. “He didn’t try to kill it. It was textbook — just place it in the net, like we always tell them to do.

“I’m happy for him. He’s a senior who hustles his butt off every single day.”

Williamsport extended its lead to 2-0 in the 65th minute, with Bauer, a defender, drilling a 40-yard shot.

“We’re trying to get him forward to take his opportunities, and that was exactly what we know he can do,” Downs said. “That’s what happens when he gets his opportunities.”

In the semifinals, the Wildcats will travel to face top-seeded Brunswick on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Othello Regional Park. The Railroaders were 4-1 winners over Williamsport in the regular season.

“You just go down there, and you never know. That’s why they play them,” Downs said. “We’re going to try to come up with something to frustrate them a little bit, and we’ll see what happens. We’re certainly not going into it expecting to get run off the park.”

Smithsburg 2, Catoctin 1 (OT)

Tyler Miller scored both Leopards goals, including the winner in the final minute of overtime, to send host Smithsburg (4-10) past the Cougars.

The Leopards will travel to face Clear Spring (7-7) in the region semifinals on Saturday at 2 p.m.

With time running out in overtime, Aaron Morales controlled the ball in the left corner. He fed Miller, who unleashed a curling strike into the top of the goal to lift Smithsburg.

The Leopards trailed 1-0 at halftime after a shot by Catoctin's Michael Metz in the 18th minute deflected off another player, wrong-footing the goalie, who had no chance to make the save.

The Leopards equalized in the 55th minute. Kaylib Sease's initial shot from the right side was brilliantly saved. After a battle for possession of the rebound at the far post, the ball came free in front of the goal and Miller made no mistake in burying it into the net.

Liam Fisher came close to giving Smithsburg the lead in the 66th minute. His 25-yard free kick hit the top of the crossbar.

3A West Region I quarterfinals

Frederick 2, North Hagerstown 1

Zander Templeton scored two goals in the second half to lead the Cadets over the visiting Hubs (8-7).

Drew Lobley had the lone goal for North.

Linganore 5, South Hagerstown 0

The host Lancers advanced to the semifinals with a victory over the Rebels (4-10).

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County teams compete in the MPSSAA boys soccer playoffs