Marriotts Ridge’s Maisy Clevenger repeats as Howard County Times 2022 girls lacrosse Player of the Year
Marriotts Ridge junior midfielder Maisy Clevenger comes from a lacrosse family.
Maisy entered her second varsity season with lofty expectations after a sensational sophomore campaign. The youngest of four, she follows in the footsteps of her older sisters Shay and Eloise. Maisy has learned from both, Shay, a senior defender at Loyola and Eloise a sophomore attacker at Maryland.
“Growing up playing in the backyard with them and even my brother [Mac] just learning things off them and growing up knowing to hustle even if you mess up is the biggest part of the game,” Maisy said. “Never really giving up and knowing my strengths, even when I don’t think I can or I get really tired I always have my siblings in the back of my head. I always have the little things that they told me before the game or in previous years.”
Maisy flourished as a dynamic scoring threat for the Mustangs with a team-high 64 goals, adding eight assists. Four goals came in the 11-10 Class 3A state championship win over Severna Park, as she helped the Mustangs orchestrate a three-goal comeback for the program’s second straight state title.
Leading the charge for the Mustangs, Clevenger is the 2022 Howard County Times/Columbia Flier girls lacrosse Player of the Year, her second consecutive season earning the honor. She’s the second Mustang to win the award multiple times, joining three-time winner Zoey Stuckenberg.
“Maisy can be a transition, full speed, fast-break dodger,” Mustangs coach Amanda Brady said. “She can cut hard off settled plays and she’s a phenomenal crease roller. She really can do it anywhere down on the offensive end, which just shows as a defense how you have to be able to stop all of those locations on her.
“In transition she’s a huge spark as a re-defender reading the plays and helping cause turnovers. Defensively, she just has really good one-on-one defense. It comes down to her footwork. She’s so fast and quick on her feet that she’s really difficult to beat.”
Her field vision and awareness made an impact on both the ride and the draws. She finished with 11 caused turnovers and 55 draw controls. Utilized all over the field, Maisy was particularly effective creating from behind the goal, an added wrinkle into her game.
“Up until this year I’ve never really done anything behind the goal,” Maisy said. “I’ve never really driven on the crease. “I’m always an up-top type of player and driver, but my strong suit definitely this year was behind, just reading what the defense is doing. My teammate Sofie Bender also rolls the crease a lot.
“So, if she’s the first one to roll, I read what their team is lining up to do. It’s really just strategizing. Looking at the little things that other people are doing can really make you realize what you’re able to do. Normally I’ll step back and see how I’m feeling, if I feel like I can’t do anything from up top I’ll take it behind and see what happens.”
Her performance in the Mustangs’ 17-5 victory over Route 99 rival Mt. Hebron on April 5 encapsulated that offensive versatility. On a special night as the Mustangs honored her mom, Elizabeth, pregame for her fight against cancer, Maisy dominated with a team-high eight points (five goals, three assists). That flawless performance offered another reminder of how the junior could take over a game at any moment.
“She had such a phenomenal game that day and I remember referencing that game several times throughout the season to her, saying ‘I want to see that Maisy,’” Brady said. “I want to see you come out here and you’re out here playing for something bigger. While the state championship is great and exciting, the win that everyone wanted including Maisy. I think it started early on in the season.”
With one season remaining, Maisy looks to continue building on her success from the past two years leading the Mustangs offense.
“I just want to be able to be that person people can rely on,” she said. “I want to see what I can do for my teammates out there. Anything I can do to help, I want to capitalize on everything I’ve done and see if I can end my senior season with another state title.”
All-County first team
Reese Allnutt, Glenelg, senior, attack
A Coastal Carolina commit, Allnutt finished second in the county with 61 assists, igniting the Gladiators’ offense. She also chipped in 10 goals, with four or more assists in eight regular-season games.
Kendall Dean, Atholton, senior, attack
A Princeton commit, Dean led the Raiders in goals (60), draw controls (54) and caused turnovers (17). She scored 10 goals against Long Reach on April 27, leading Atholton to a 15-8 victory.
Erin Devine, River Hill, senior, midfield
Devine finished third in the county with 71 goals, tying the Hawks team-high with 87 points. She also excelled in the middle of the field with 40 draw controls. The senior scored seven goals in River Hill’s 18-13 victory over Arundel on March 29.
Alyssa Gorny, Howard, senior, midfield
Gorny scored the second-most goals on the Lions with 50, scoring on 17 of 20 free position opportunities. She led the Lions in draw controls (97), caused turnovers (24) and assists (19). Gorny netted the game-winning goal in overtime in Howard’s 3A East Region I quarterfinal win over Centennial.
Audrey Harrington, Mt. Hebron, senior, attack
Harrington finished second on the team in goals (33), thriving as a facilitator with 20 assists. She also caused nine turnovers for the Vikings. Harrington scored a season-high five goals in an 18-11 win over Centennial on April 22.
Grace Hejeebu, Marriotts Ridge, senior, goalie
A two-time state champion starting goalie, Hejeebu finished the season with a 46% save percentage (107 saves on 231 shots). She stepped up in critical moments for the Mustangs in the postseason.
Emma Kennedy, Glenelg, senior, attack
The Gladiators leading goal scorer with 67, Kennedy spearheaded a prolific offense that scored over 20 goals in seven of 13 regular-season games. She also added 23 assists. She is committed to Navy and is an Under Armour All-American.
Hayley Lettinga, Marriotts Ridge, senior, midfield
The veteran stepped up when it mattered most for the Mustangs with four goals in the 3A state championship game, including the tying goal with under four minutes remaining. She finished second on the team in goals (30) and draw controls (42).
Jaclyn Marszal, Glenelg Country, senior, attack
Marszal finished second on the team with 54 goals, also adding a county-high 67 assists. The Notre Dame commit, was named IAAM A All-Conference Selection and had three different games where she scored over 10 points. Marszal scored a season-high 14 points (eight goals, six assists) against St Paul’s, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time.
Stephanie Marszal, Glenelg Country, senior, goalie
The Delaware commit started 18 of 19 games for the Dragons finishing with a 54.3% save percentage. She had six games with 11 or more saves, highlighted by a 13-save performance against McDonogh. The anchor of Glenelg Country’s defense, the Dragons held opponents to 7 goals or less in 12 games.
Maura Murphy, Glenelg, senior, midfield
Murphy was dominant in the draw circle for the Gladiators winning over 75% of them. Committed to Navy, she finished with 32 goals and 14 assists. She scored a season-high six goals in the Gladiators’ 17-4 victory over Marriotts Ridge on April 20.
Sara Novak, Oakland Mills, junior, midfield
Novak scored a county-high 79 goals, also leading the Scorpions in assists (21) and draw controls (99). She scored six or more goals seven times, including a season-high 11 against Long Reach on May 4.
Neve O’Ferrall, Glenelg Country, senior, defense
The Maryland commit was the Dragons’ defensive captain, leading with 54 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. She started 18 of 19 games for Glenelg Country, another pivotal piece of their dominant defense.
Emily Renehan, Glenelg, senior, defense
A team captain, she led the Gladiators’ stout defense with 21 caused turnovers. Playing in Glenelg’s pressure defense, she also scooped up 45 ground balls and is committed to play collegiately at UMBC.
Claire Slade, River Hill, senior, attack
Slade spearheaded the Hawks’ offense with 78 goals, second-most in the county. She also chipped in nine assists, tying the team-high with 87 points. She will play at Xavier next season.
Jocelyn Torres, Glenelg, senior, goalie
A four-year starter and team captain, Torres finished with 75 saves as the anchor for the Gladiators’ defense, which held opponents to three goals per game. She is an Under Armour All-American, also committed to Virginia Tech.
Maggie Weisman, Glenelg Country, senior, attack
Weisman led the Dragons in goals (56) and draw controls (72). She started in all 19 games, named a IAAM A All-Conference Selection. The Maryland commit scored over five goals in five different games, including a season-high six in the IAAM semifinal victory over Bryn Mawr.
All-County second team
Sofie Bender, Marriotts Ridge, junior, attack
Sam Brothers, Howard, senior, midfield
Regan Byrne, Glenelg Country, junior, attack
Abby Cudzilo, Centennial, junior, attack
Olivia Hoover, Mt. Hebron, sophomore, attack
Alaina Kelly, Centennial, senior, midfield
Lauren LaPointe, Glenelg, junior, attack
Cydney Lisk, Glenelg Country, senior, defender
Molly Maloney, River Hill, senior, attack
Emi Moran, Marriotts Ridge, senior, defense
Cassy Montgomery, Wilde Lake, junior, midfield
Lauren Pellegrini, Centennial, senior, defense
Kylie Ritter, Mt. Hebron, junior, defense
Molly Sloan, Glenelg, senior, defense
Ellie Smith, Mt. Hebron, sophomore, midfield
Kathleen Thayer, Reservoir, senior, midfield
Jenna Vetter, Howard, junior, attack
Ava Welsh, Centennial, junior, goalie
Honorable Mention
Atholton: Tilia Fields, junior, defense; Glenelg: Carleigh Callahan, senior, attack; Glenelg Country: Kate Fuhrman, senior, attack; Hammond: Hannah Haber, junior, midfield; Long Reach: Chiara Pompei, sophomore, midfield; Mt. Hebron: Kaitlyn Magdar, freshman, midfield; Oakland Mills: Kaity Browne, junior, midfield; Reservoir: Alex Ripkin, junior, midfield; Wilde Lake: Kayla Hunter, senior, midfield
2022 Final Standings
1. Glenelg: 15-1 overall, 13-0 county (county champion, Class 2A West Region I finalist); 2. Marriotts Ridge: 14-4, 7-1 (Class 3A East Region I champion, 3A state champion); 3. Mt. Hebron: 8-5, 6-2; 4. Howard: 9-5, 8-4; 5. Centennial: 8-5, 7-4; 6. River Hill: 10-7, 7-4 (3A East Region II champion, 3A state quarterfinalist); 7. Atholton: 6-7, 5-6; 8. Wilde Lake: 5-8, 4-6; 9. Reservoir: 6-10; 3-8 (3A East Region II finalist); 10. Oakland Mills: 4-9, 2-6; 11. Long Reach: 3-10, 1-7; 12. Hammond: 2-10, 0-8. IAAM A Conference Glenelg Country (17-2, 12-1 IAAM A Conference Finalist); IAAM C Conference Chapelgate Christian (0-9, 0-7).
