Perry Hall and Collin Rome (with ball) are off to the state 4A boys' soccer finals after beating Severna Park in a state semifinal Saturday at Washington College.
If an opportunity at a state championship wasn't enough motivation for Perry Hall High School's boys soccer team, the Gators picked up some added incentive for their Class 4A state semifinal with Severna Park.
"After the local papers said this past week that it was going to be Severna Park-Magruder in the finals, we knew they were looking past us," said Perry Hall coach Danny Skelton. "Severna Park had no idea what was coming."
The Gators rolled past the Falcons, 4-0, at Washington College's Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium Saturday afternoon. Perry Hall advances to the title game where it will meet Magruder, Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. at South River High. Magruder eliminated Bowie in the other semifinal match Saturday.
Chris Sokolis' goal in the opening minute stunned Severna Park, which saw hopes for its first state crown since 2001 conclude on the Eastern Shore. Joe Glossen, Kevin Madrano and Nick Kuklane also scored for the Baltimore County co-champions.
The Gators (16-1-3) posted their third postseason shutout with goalie Zack Kane backed by seniors Josh Spivey, Peter Shonk, Kuklane and Phillip Saunders. Perry Hall has done it against three teams from three different jurisdictions-Westminster from Carroll County, Harford County's C. Milton Wright, and the Falcons of Anne Arundel County.
Though Perry Hall led 1-0 halftime, Sokolis' strike set the tone. The Gators had the better scoring opportunities, but were unable to capitalize. Kane, a junior, came up a huge stop of a free kick in the 12th minute.
Glossen took an inbound ball and beat three defenders for an unassisted tally in the 17th minute of the second half, extending the Gators' advantage to 2-0. Kevin Madrano found some open space in the 21st minute with an unassisted goal after a scrum for the ball in front of the cage.
A failed clear by Severna Park led to a free kick that was drilled into the bottom left corner by Kuklane. The Gators kept possession on the Falcons' side of the field most of the final 40 minutes of regulation.
"We could not get our forwards open and we could not get the ball through to our midfielders," said Severna Park coach Bob Thomas, whose team finished 15-4. "We gave them to many throw ins in the first half and a team is eventually going to cash in on all of those opportunities."
"I hope that next year's team can remember this feeling," said Severna Park senior captain Sean Bunoski. "We played hard, but they played harder."
The Gators will have to raise its level for its title match with Magruder, ranked No. 1 in the Washington metro area. The Colonels improved to 18-0 with a 4-1 decision over Bowie.
The Montgomery County school won't have all-time leading scorer Alex Lee for Saturday's title game. The senior received two yellow cards and a soft red in the contest, meaning he's ineligible to play.
No matter who's on the other side, Perry Hall will be inspired. The Gators, unbeaten in their last 14 decisions, are a win or tie away from their first state crown.
"This was the result of a lot of hard work," said Skelton. "I could not be more happy.”
-Derek Toney contributed to this article