Brunswick outpaces Panthers in state semifinal, 1-0, behind late 1st-half

By Victor Hensley

LINGANORE, MD - Mere minutes after his team’s season came to an end at the hands of one of the state’s top contenders, Perryville Head Coach Chris Tome made an emphatic, hope-filled declaration: this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this Panthers squad.

“(This experience) is going to be huge, because I’ll tell you what, we’re not going to have a big drop

Goal

off,” Tome said. “We have boys that are stepping into the role, so I’m expecting us to be in the same position next year.”

Moments earlier, the defending state champion Brunswick Railroaders (16-1) blanked the Panthers (10-3-1) in 1-0 fashion to advance to the MPSSAA

1A men’s soccer state final after a physical contest that saw Perryville struggle to keep up with the speed of Brunswick’s defense.

It was the first time the Panthers had been shut out since Oct. 11, and just the second time all season. Despite having numerous opportunities –namely with speedy attacker Logan Shaw – the Panthers simply struggled to put the ball on the net as the Railroaders controlled their penalty box and rarely let Perryville inside.

“They were just a

‘They’re going to be hungry’: Panthers drop state semifinal to Fallston, look ahead to promising 2023

them,” Myers said of Murrell’s go-ahead goal in the first half. “They controlled the middle of the field, when they controlled the middle of the field, we just couldn’t get it there to get it up to her (again).”

The Panthers held onto their 1-0 lead until deep into the second half, when it began to look like, despite its valiant effort, Fallston just might come away empty handed.

Then, on a free kick opportunity in the 64th minute, the Cougars evened the score.

Fallston junior midfielder Mackenzie Mazor received a deep crossing pass from about 25 yards out, which soared past a Panthers defender and landed directly into Mazor’s lap. It took just one dribble for her to get face-to-face with

Perryville goalkeeper Sarah Cantrell, lofting a shot high into the net, over Cantrell’s outstretched arms, for the point-blank goal to knot it at 1 apiece.

Mazor’s game-tying goal loomed even larger when, less than 10 minutes later, in the 73rd minute, Cougars senior Ellie Ajello connected with senior Katherine King on a long centering pass, giving her an opportunity to tap the ball into the top-left corner of the net as she fell to the ground after scoring what would be the game-winner. The Panthers had a chance to set up a goal on a late free kick deep into Cougars territory with a minute to play, but were unable to get a shot off as Fallston’s defense held strong, sealing the 2-1 victory and sending itself to its second-straight state title game. Despite allowing two late goals, the star of the show – regardless of the team – was undoubtedly Cantrell, who kept the game close even as she was bombarded with shots from the opening kickoff. Cantrell had a season-high 15 saves in the loss, a mark of a seasoned, dependable goalkeeper.

But, here’s the kicker: she’s only a sophomore. And she’s got plenty of soccer left in the tank.

“We knew we were going to play defensive and we knew that Sarah (Cantrell) was going to have to come up big in this game,” Myers said. “And that’s exactly what she did. She did everything and more of what we needed there. She gets better every game. She’s the one that kept us in here. We expected a lot from her today and she definitely stepped up. It was awesome.”

Being young, talented and full of potential is the case for most of the Perryville roster, however –96% of which will be back next season.

Aside from senior Kylie Narvell, who Myers said he’s sad to see go, the Panthers will bring back every single one of their starters next fall, a luxury not many Final Four teams have.

“We lose Kylie, which is a tough loss, but we still bring everybody else back,” Myers said on his team’s 2023 outlook. “We’re expecting to still work hard and still get (back) here. Like I’ve said, there’s no quit in these girls. They’re going to build off of this. They’re going to be hungry after this.”

Brunswick outpaces Panthers

fast team,” Tome said of Brunswick. “I told the boys at halftime, I’m like, ‘The difference between what they’re doing defensively and what we’re doing defensively is, when they’re making their subtle movements to shift and slide, they’re actually getting closer to their man as they shift and slide, where we’re just moving in space and then reacting when the ball gets played to that guy.’

“Their speed and the way that they defended, always knowing what they’re defensive responsibility was,” he added, “it was just hard to unlock.”

While both teams had around the same number of scoring opportunities in the first half – even though Brunswick comfortably controlled possession – the Railroaders were the only squad able to capitalize on them.

The game’s lone score came late in the first half, when Brunswick senior goalkeeper Finn McGannon delivered a perfect pass to midfield for senior midfielder Will Burton. Burton took control, found sophomore Chase Malone sprint- ing down the pitch, got him a pass through a pair of Perryville defenders and Malone proceeded to slot a shot into the left portion of the net for the 1-0 lead.

The score came in the 38th minute, just before the halftime break.

“It sucks because Paytn (Hulbert) felt responsible for it because he went up to win a ball, didn’t win it, it squabbles through, it gets touched by and the next thing you know, guys are behind and Finn (Tome) has no choice but to get off his line and that’s a tough save to make when you’re oneon-one,” Chris Tome said.

“They came to the bench and I couldn’t tell whether it was exhaustion or deflation, but they were tired because they were running their butts off in the first half.”

In the second half, Perryville held its own, keeping Brunswick off the board for the game’s final 40 minutes.

On the flip side, however, the Panthers didn’t muster a single shot-on-goal in the second half, despite creating a couple of decent scoring opportunities.

“We had a few chances,” Chris Tome said.

“I think we had them a little nervous for the last 12 minutes multiple times, but we just couldn’t put one in.”

One of the team’s bright spots was undeniably Shaw, who could be seen all over the field for the Panthers as he continuously tried to put the Railroaders on the ropes.

Luckily for Perryville, he’s just a sophomore, one that’ll act as a cornerstone of this program for years to come.

“His work rate is unparalleled,” Chris Tome said when asked about Shaw.

“It’s nonstop. He’s pushing everybody to work harder.

… He's also a very technical player, it's hard for guys to knock him off the ball, take the ball from him. Last year, as a freshman, he realized that he had to get a lot more physical because he got moved off the ball a lot last year. He’s not letting that happen this year.”

Losing just short of the state title game is a tough pill for any team to swallow.

But, with the Panthers having secured both a regional championship and a Final Four appearance this season, there’s a lot for them to hang their hats on.

“I knew pretty much right away, just by the personnel I had, I was telling these boys from the beginning that we could make a run for the state title this year,” Chris Tome said. “I know that we lost to North East and Rising Sun, but Perryville was the most technically skilled team in the county this year. … I’m just super proud of them. I couldn’t have been blessed with a better group.”