BACK AGAIN: Glenelg seniors Kate Selfridge (left) and Lauren Giraldi (right) were freshmen the last time their Gladiators' lacrosse team won a state title. On Tuesday, opposite Loch Raven, the duo hopes to experience winning the Class 2A-1A state title at UMBC Stadium.
Glenelg's Lauren Giraldi (left) and Alayna Markwordt (center) were the top two scorers in their Gladiators' 23-0, Class 2A-1A state semifinal shutout of Rising Sun on Saturday. Markwordt had five goals and three assists, while Giraldi had three each in goals and assists.
by Lem Satterfield
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Glenelg coach Ginger Kincaid recalls how, as freshmen, three of her current players experienced what it was like to be members of a state title-winning Gladiators' lacrosse team.
On Saturday, at Howard County neighbor, Reservoir High, each member of that now senior trio played a huge role in perhaps recreating that scenario.
Lauren Giraldi scored three each in goals and assists, Kristy Black scored three times with two assists, and Kate Selfridge keyed a defense which helped Gladiators' junior goalie, Katie Beaver (12 saves), to register a shutout in a 23-0, Class 2A-1A state semifinal victory over Rising Sun (12-4) of Cecil County.
"We have Lauren Giraldi, Kate Selfridge and Kristy Black who did states when they were freshmen," Kincaid said of Giraldi, Selfridge and Black, who are headed for Vermont, Clemson and Maryland, respectively, next season. "And they're real excited to be back, and they're real excited to do this again."
The Gladiators, on Tuesday, will attempt to win their second state title in four years when they take the field at UMBC in Catonsville at 4 p.m. opposite Baltimore County's Loch Raven.
"It was an amazing feeling to have as a freshman, and we had such a good team. Having this experience now, and ending our senior year would be an amazing eptiome of a lacrosse game, so we're really excited and ready to win another one," said Giraldi, who has scored 38 goals and assisted on 20 this season.
"As a freshman, that kind of set the standard for the rest of the four years...and that kind of set up our goals for the next couple of years," said Selfridge. "We haven't been able to reach them the past couple of years, but hopefully, on Tuesday, we'll get one again and that will be a great feeling."
In Raiders (12-3), the Gladiators face a team that has won five straight games, including its semifinal, 12-5, over Southern of Anne Arundel County.
The Raiders have suffered three, narrows defeats -- twice, by 11-9, and, 11-10, against Class 4A-3A state finalist Catonsville of Baltimore County, and one by 9-8 to Baltimore County neighbor Hereford.
The Raiders also own a 6-5 victory over Class 3A-2A state finalist Towson of Baltimore County, which vanquished Hereford, 11-4, for its Class 3A-2A North Region title game win.
"Beating Mount Hebron was a big thrill, beating Centennial twice and winning the county title was a huge thrill, but now we have one more prize out there, and that prize is the state title," said Kincaid.
"So hopefully, we'll be focused and ready to do that on Tuesday," Kincaid said. "We've got some film from them the other night, so we have to focus on what we have to do to beat them and execute."
The Gladiators were focused, indeed, against the Rising Sun Tigers on Saturday, led by senior Alayna Markwordt with a game-high five goals and three assists, senior Alyssa Felix with three goals and two assists, sophomore Gwyn Pettit with three goals and an assist, and junior Brie Kitchelt with one goal and two assists.
Markwordt, who is headed for Ohio State, said she didn't expect "to be as dominant as that" against the Tigers, "but I knew we could beat them if we played to our ability, which we did."
"It means a lot because we've all played together for so long," Markwordt said. "To win states our senior year would just be awesome."
Katie Grogan scored twice, Skylar Marcoux had two assists, Hannah Tack and Katie Chase each contributed a goal and an assist, Taylor Salandra scored once, and Tara Sones had an assists for the Gladiators, who had assists on 11 of the 15 goals they scored prior to halftime.
"We just worked really well together. We've been playing together for a long time, and we've had a very successful season," Felix said. "We're all with each other, we all know what everyone's doing. We're all there for each other."
Seniors Becca Guethler (61 goals, 10 assists) and senior Kelly Allaband (13, 13), junior Hannah McCartan (20, five) and freshman Dana Allaband (46, 19) have been the top scorers for the Tigers, who avenged to earlier losses with playoff victories over Bo Manor and Perryville.
But they were effectively contained by a Gladiators' defense keyed by Beaver, Selfridge, Sones, Brooke Constantino, Kendall Church and Katie Chase.
"We've been playing together for a few years now, and we just crash really well and we talk really well, and we just know where everyone is," said Constantino. "This is really good for our confidence level, and I hope we can just keep going strong."
Glenelg 23, Rising Sun 0
Goals: G- Markwordt 5, Pettit 3, Black 3, Felix 3, Giraldi 3, Grogan 2, Kitchelt, Chase, Tack, Salandra. Assists: G- Markwordt 3, Giraldi 3, Felix 2, Black 2, Kitchelt 2, Marcoux 2, Pettit, Chase, Tack. Saves: R- McCusker 17. G- Beaver 12.
Half: 15-0, G