Girls Soccer: Leonardtown 1, Broadneck 0

 ***Click the videos link on the left to view video highlights from the game***

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

As Tuesday night's 4A East girls soccer quarterfinal progressed, the Leonardtown Raiders found their position growing all the more tenuous with every second that ticked off the clock.

The top-seeded Raiders, SMAC champions this season and just two seasons removed from a 4A state championship, were deadlocked with the visiting Broadneck Bruins and in danger of watching their season end just as soon as their postseason started. But, with plenty of experience playing through dramatic moments, Leonardtown had been there before. And, with less than three minutes remaining in regulation time, junior Johanna Rambo finished off a cross from senior Emily Gehrig to lift the Raiders past the ninth-seeded Bruins 1-0.

"I think it's always in our head, we always know what we want the end result to be," Gehrig said. "Broadneck definitely took us out of our game this game. We didn't have very many chances, but towards the end it really hit us that this could be our last game so I think we all stepped it up and Jo was there for a great finish."

Scoring chances were at a premium in the game, with Broadneck (5-7-3) and Leonardtown struggling to gain the upper hand.

"It was definitely hard, because I didnt' touch the ball very much," said Leonardtown senior goalkeeper Dana O'Neill. "When it came down to my end, obviously they had a really good thrower so that was difficult."

"It was a tough game tonight, a hard-fought match," Leonardtown coach Jennifer Henderson said. "I'm thrilled we came away with a victory tonight."

Despite an unbeaten, SMAC-championship season, the regional playoffs always add a new challenge for the Raiders. Playing in the 4A East, Leonardtown is forced to navigate through a talented collection of teams from Anne Arundel County that it is not too familiar with. 

"Anne Arundel County is a tough conference because we don't see them at all," Henderson said. "It's hard to tell how you're going to match up. I think we're very competitive with all of their teams, and I'm happy to get through this first round so we can go on and play in the regional semis."

For the eight seniors on Leonardtown's roster, this is a final postseason journey to cap a successful run. The Raiders reached the regional final a year ago, and two years ago won the state championship in a 1-0 win over Quince Orchard that featured a game-winning goal from Gehrig in the final moments. So, backed into a familiar corner on Tuesday, the Raiders had plenty of past experience to draw from.

"I think experience always helps, but I think everyone wants what we had before and that's what we think about is state championship," Gehrig said. "We always want to get to that result. But I think right now we're just trying to take it one game at a time because I think we have a much harder bracket this year."

astates@digitalsports.com

Leonardtown 1, Broadneck 0
B    0    0
L    0    1
Goals
Leonardtown: Rambo