Undefeated Marriotts Ridge girls soccer beats Centennial to win county title | Howard County sports roundup
Oct. 20—For the third straight regular season, the Marriotts Ridge girls soccer team is the cream of the crop in Howard County.
The Mustangs beat visiting Centennial 3-0 on Tuesday to complete their undefeated regular season and claim the county championship.
"This was one of the things the girls set their minds to. They wanted to get back here," said Marriotts Ridge coach Darius Qualls. "Once we got back into our training sessions this fall, this was a mission for our entire team. We have a lot of missions, but this is the first one."
After a scoreless first half, freshman Jaya Shelat scored off an assist from Giavana Liberto to put the Stangs up 1-0 after intermission. Senior Megan Wagner then scored the team's final two goals. The first was assisted by freshman Taylor Riismandel, and the second was a 30-yard missile off a direct kick.
"This is really great. This is a great way to end my senior year and my experience at Marriotts Ridge," said Wagner, who was one of three seniors honored on Senior Night. "It was great to score, especially the free kick. I haven't been doing as great on those this season, so I've been working really hard in practice on them."
Marriotts Ridge (10-0-1 county, 13-0-1 overall) last won the county title in 2019 when it went 8-1 in county play.
This past spring, in the COVID-shortened season, the Mustangs went undefeated in the regular season with a 7-0-1 record, but the county title was crowned to the winner of the tournament that capped off the season. Marriotts Ridge lost in penalty kicks to eventual-champion Glenelg in the quarterfinals, spoiling its undefeated season.
Qualls said the loss to the Gladiators propelled his team to improve this summer, and the Mustangs shot out of a cannon to start the fall season with a 3-1 win over then-No. 1 ranked Mercy.
The Stangs have been dominant all season, outscoring their opponents 40-2. The only other goal they allowed this season was in its 3-1 win over Glenelg on Sept. 23. The only game Marriotts Ridge didn't win was a scoreless tie at Atholton last week.
"It means a lot to us, because this is what we've been working for," said Mustangs senior goalie Caroline Albert. "Coming out from last year in the PK loss to Glenelg, we were all really sad and heartbroken. But right after we were texting in our group chat that we would get it next season, and we did."
The hallmark of Qualls' squad since 2019 has been its defense. In the team's last 35 games, dating back to 2019, the Mustangs have allowed only seven goals.
Albert and defenders Anna Page, Bridget Ford, Abigail Eldridge, Mollie Anderson and Allison Yhim have teamed up this fall to register 12 clean sheets, including in each of the Stangs' last seven contests.
"It's all about the relationships," said Albert, who tallied eight saves in the win over the Eagles. "We have great team bonding, and that really helps us on the field. We trust each other a lot, and all the girls have great soccer IQ."
Marriotts Ridge's regular season is over, while Centennial (4-6) is back in action Thursday at home versus River Hill.
While the Mustangs have had regular-season success in the past few seasons, that has yet to transfer over to the postseason. Before their PK loss to Glenelg this past spring, Marriotts Ridge lost to Mt. Hebron 1-0 in the 3A East Region I final in 2019.
"We're trying to get to states," Albert said. "I think this county championship helps our confidence that we can do that. We're a really great team, and we can get there."
Marriotts Ridge 3, Centennial 0
Goals: MR — Megan Wagner 2, Jaya Shelat.
Assists: MR — Giavana Liberto, Taylor Riismandel.
Saves: MR — Caroline Albert 8; C — Olivia Jackson 6.
Halftime: 0-0.
Records: MR 10-0-1, 13-0-1; C 4-6.
OTHER GIRLS SOCCER SCORES:
River Hill 1, Reservoir 0
Goals: RH — C. Duffy.
Saves: RH — Duffy 6; Re — N. George 3.
Halftime: 1-0, RH.
Records: RH 7-3, 8-5; Re 4-7, 5-8
Atholton 4, Hammond 1
Goals: A — Ava Morales, Sumara Bedward, Katie Hessler, Keagan Williams; Ha — Leah Steinhorn.
Assists: A — Cathy Cole, Talia Fields.
Saves: A — Katie Wood 7; Ha — Angela Neira 9.
Records: A 7-3-1; Ha 1-10, 2-10.
Wilde Lake 4, Long Reach 2
Goals: WL — Gia Johnson 2, Grace Dunbar, Leah Williams; LR — Jessica Ruano, Kaylee Plecas.
Assists: WL — Dunbar 3, Madison Mitchell; LR — Reagan Burfeind.
Saves: WL — Hannah Lowry 5; LR — Shyann Hansen 4.
Halftime: 2-0, WL.
Records: WL 4-7, 5-7; LR 2-9.
BOYS SOCCER:
Wilde Lake 3, Long Reach 2
Desmond Adeyemi scored a hat trick starting with a one-touch finish off a cross in by junior Andrew Gaiano just minutes before halftime. The Lightning fought back to take the lead in the second half before Adeyemi dispossessed a center defender and buried the game-tying goal into the back post. The Wildecats then celebrated Senior Night in fashion with a through ball played by senior Alex Manney into Adeyemi at midfield, who then outpaced two defenders before slotting the game-winning goal past the keeper with 12 seconds left in regulation.
Goals: WL — Desmond Adeyemi 3; LR — Wilfredo Campos 2.
Assists: WL — Andrew Gaiano, Alex Manney; LR — Eric Allen.
Saves: WL — Melvin Ahoueya 8; LR — Darius Hopkins 12.
Halftime: 1-0, WL.
Records: WL 3-9, 5-9; LR 1-10, 2-10
River Hill 2, Reservoir 1
Goals: RH — Aidan Edmonds 2; Re — Evan Spann.
Assists: RH — Antonio Paulino, Jason Jia; Re — Peter Lee.
Records: RH 8-2, 9-3; Re 6-5.
Centennial 3, Marriotts Ridge 2 (OT)
Eddie Aguilar scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead the Eagles to victory over the Mustangs.
Goals: C — Eddie Aguilar 2, Andrew Fritz; MR — Ryan Zhong, Kaden Ryan.
Assists: C — Cameron Grable.
Saves: C — Caleb Addalia 5; MR — Aiden Costello 6.
Halftime: 1-1.
Records: C 8-1-1, 10-2-1; MR 6-5.
Atholton 6, Hammond 1
Senior Joshua Martins led the Atholton Raiders to a victory with a hat trick and an assist.
Records: A 5-6; Ha 0-11, 1-12.
VOLLEYBALL:
Howard def. Wilde Lake — 3-0 [25-15, 25-12, 25-10]
The Lions continued their winning streak to 13 in county play to clinch at least a share of the county championship. Howard was led by junior Corinne Chau and Tyller Williams, who tallied nine and 10 kills, respectively. The victory sets the Lions up for a county championship-deciding match against Reservoir (12-1) on Thursday. If the Lions win, they will be the outright champions. If Reservoir wins, the two squads will share the crown. Howard defeated Reservoir 3-1 in September.
Howard stats: Tyller Williams (10 kills, 3 blocks), Corinne Chau (9 kills, 2 aces) Darien Garner (4 kills), Ayanna Pharoah (6 aces, 2 kills, 24 assists), Briana May (12 digs, 3 aces), Sophia Platt (6 aces, 9 digs).
Records: Ho 13-0; Re 12-1.
Marriotts Ridge def. Long Reach — 3-0 [25-6, 25-14, 25-13]
Marriotts Ridge stats: Vivian O'Brien (5 kills, 3 digs), Leah Liu (13 kills, 3 aces, 17 digs), Rhisen Davis (10 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs), Eva Hull (36 assists, 1 block and 7 digs).
Long Reach stats: Allison Brown (5 kills, 2 digs), Sasha Koola (1 ace, 1 assist, 8 digs), Isabella Mora (2 kills, 7 digs), Hayley Norton (14 assists, 5 digs), Kailey Young (1 ace, 5 kills, 1 block, 3 digs).
Records: MR 8-4; LR 2-11, 3-11.
Centennial def. Mt. Hebron — 3-1 [25-14, 25-16, 20-25, 25-23]
Centennial stats: Mailinh Godschall (18 kills, 7 aces, 14 digs), Abi Griffin (2 kills), Emma Booth (2 kills), Holli Kraisser (6 aces, 7 digs), Kaley MacLellan (5 kills, 1 block), Skylar Brown (2 blocks), Jenny Dong (4 aces, 5 digs), Caleigh Kim (12 digs), Brianna Bossom (2 kills, 1 ace, 10 digs, 23 assists).
Mt. Hebron stats: Emma Kate Bates (12 kills, 3 digs), Caroline Zheng (21 digs), Emerson Rose (13 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace, 1 kill), Anastasia Zambidis (8 assists, 4 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill), Juliana Guzman (8 digs, 3 aces), Ava Bradley (6 kills, 7 digs, 1 ace).
Records: C 10-3; MH 5-7.
Glenelg def. Hammond — 3-0 [25-19, 25-17, 25-16]
Glenelg stats: Mackenzie Calhoun (14 kills, 1 assist, 5 digs, 1 ace), Sarah Parker (8 kills, 3 aces, 1 block, 1 assist, 7 digs), Lauren Lapointe (5 kills, 1 block, 1 assist), Lindsay Kelley (1 kill, 26 assists, 6 digs, 5 aces), Liesl Walter (4 kills, 1 block), Sydney Yoon (2 aces, 4 assists, 20 digs).
Hammond stats: Safi Hampton (8 kills, 13 digs, 1 block, 2 aces, 1 assist), Jenna Kreh (1 kill, 10 digs, 1 ace, 17 assists), Zahra Miknas (2 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks), Erin Peters (5 kills, 8 digs), Jariah Nash (7 digs, 2 aces).
Records: G 8-4; Ha 3-9.
Reservoir def. Atholton — 3-0 [25-8. 25-9, 25-14]
Reservoir stats: Samiha Foster (18 kills, 1 ace, 4 digs), Haley Ko (19 assists, 9 digs, 2 kills, 1 ace), Jess Rothermel (17 assists, 4 digs, 1 ace), Madison Hill (5 kills, 2 blocks), Gabby Allen (9 digs, 3 assists), Kelsey Holmes (3 kills, 1 block), Chaeli Flotildes (9 digs, 2 aces), Azariah Overton (4 kills, 3 digs), Anjola Omolewa (10 kills).
Records: Re 12-1; A 3-10.
River Hill def. Oakland Mills — 3-0 [25-12, 25-13, 25-19]
Oakland Mills stats: Jasmine Armoo (5 blocks), Kathryn Rogan (17 assists, 3 digs, 1 ace), Lana Weisheit (15 digs), Zhenzhu Nelson (10 kills, 16 digs).
Records: RH 9-3; OM 1-11.
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18:
FIELD HOCKEY:
Oakland Mills 3, Lansdowne 2
Records: OM 0-10, 1-10.
Marriotts Ridge 4, Reservoir 0
Goals: MR — Clevenger 2, Moran, Fisher.
Assists: MR — Baxter 2, Kriner, Clevenger.
Saves: MR — Windsor 2; Re — Frisvold 10.
Halftime: 3-0, MR.
Records: MR 8-4; Re 2-9.
Centennial 2, Howard 1
Records: C 3-8; Ho 1-11.
VOLLEYBALL:
Hammond def. Wilde Lake — 3-0 [25-20, 25-19, 25-19]
Hammond stats: Safi Hampton (3 aces, 21 kills, 13 digs), Jenna Kreh (15 digs, 31 assists), Zahra Miknas (8 kills, 2 digs), Erin Peters (3 kills, 4 digs), Mikaela Meer (4 aces, 1 dig).
Chapelgate def. Key— 3-0 [25-13, 25-11, 25-16]
Chapelgate stats: Selah Holland (2 aces, 8 assists, 1 dig), Isabelle Florent (6 kills, 1 ace, 1 dig), Amanda Morse (4 aces, 2 assists, 7 digs, 1 kill), Madison James (1 ace, 4 kills, 8 digs), Grace Salveron (9 aces, 7 assists, 3 digs), Aniya Jones (1 ace, 7 kills, 4 digs), Chase Grant (4 kills, 3 blocks), Samara Decker (2 kills, 1 dig).
GIRLS SOCCER:
River Hill 1, Atholton 0
Goals: RH — J. Purdue.
Assists: RH — A. Lubitz, V. Yao.
Saves: RH — C. Duffy; A — D. Bedward 4.
Halftime: 0-0.
Mt. Hebron 6, Oakland Mills 0
Goals: MH — Sinclaire Green 4, Amari Mehta, Jessie Barke.
Assists: MH — Mehta 2, Solana Wynn, Barke, Sophia Kreyling, Emma Schwartz.
Saves: MH — Emily Canseven 3; OM — Paige Andrews 15.
Halftime: 2-0, MH.
Records: MH 9-1, 9-2; OM 1-9, 2-9.
Huntingtown 3, Howard 1
Goals: Ho — Brooke Matney.
Assists: Ho — Lucy Larson.
Saves: Ho — Ansley Glasgow 12, Katherine Marcus 3.
Halftime: 2-0, Hu.
Records: Ho 4-6, 5-7.
Glenelg 2, South Carroll 0
The Gladiators traveled northwest for an away game and came home with the victory. In the eighth minute of the game, Ava Stamatakis hammered home a rebound off a hard shot by Brianna Werner that hit the post. Then in the 54th minute, Stephanie Lathrop collected a ball off a defender's leg, juked another defender, and struck a line-drive goal from the 18. That was all Glenelg needed, as their defense held South Carroll scoreless, including six saves from Bella Buscher. Symone Jenson, Carlin Costell and Susie Shollenberger shut down the middle of the field, forcing South Carroll to try to use the sideline, but the speed of Glenelg's outside midfielders and defenders thwarted the opponent's attempts.
Goals: G — Ava Stamatakis, Stephanie Lathrop.
Assists: G — Brianna Werner.
Saves: G — Bella Buscher 6; SC — Brooke Turner 8.
Halftime: 1-0, G.
Records: G 9-1, 10-1.
BOYS SOCCER:
Glenelg 2, South Carroll 0
Goals: G — Hibbitts, Minni.
Assists: G — Jolayemi.
Saves: G — Gulati-10.
Halftime: 1-0, G.
Records: G 7-2-2.
Mt. Hebron 8, Oakland Mills 0
Liam McCaffrey scored a hat trick to lead the Vikings to victory. The blowout win is the Vikings' ninth straight triumph. With one game left on its schedule, Mt. Hebron is alone in first place in the county standings. If the Vikings defeat Glenelg on Thursday, they will win the county crown outright.
Goals: MH — Liam McCaffrey 3, Jimmy Linsenmeyer 2, Andrew Magdar, Shalom Adja, Daniel Etheridge.
Assists: MH — Linsenmeyer 2, Mark Adja, Ahmad Alamad, Ethridge, Lewis Hollander, Buhwan Bhattari.
Saves: MH — Mehar Sidhu 1.
Records: MH 9-1, 10-1; OM 3-6-1, 3-8-2.
Urbana 1, Howard 0
Saves: Ryerson 4.
Records: Ho 6-5.
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