Catonsville senior Jessica Nonn notched four goals in the first half.
Catonsville was still riding high after its 19-10 win over Dulaney on Wesdnesday.
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.comBefore making the long drive to North Carroll for the 4A/3A state semifinals,
Catonsville Coach Dorothy Gill took her team into the school gym and presented it with the 4A/3A South regional title plaque.
The girls, of course let out a few screams of excitement despite that it was approaching 48 hours since they had won it. That didn’t matter, as Wednesday’s upset win over Dulaney was still fresh in the minds of Catonsville’s girl’s lacrosse players Friday.
Their excitement showed on the field as Catonsville jumped out to an early lead against 4A/3A West regional champion
Wootton and didn’t look back, beating the Patriots 11-6 at North Carroll High School to move onto the Maryland state finals for the first time since 2004.
“We took our momentum from the Delaney game, brought it into this game and we showed up to play,” Old Dominion-bound senior Rebecca Reymann said. “It worked out.”
Not only did Catonsville take a 3-0 lead at the start of the game, but it did it in just two minutes and 12 seconds. Reymann scored in just 15 seconds to open the game and senior Lia Garman and Jessica Nonn followed suit.
Nonn notched four goals in the first half, Reymann had two goals and an assist and junior Shelby Polk lead a stiff defense that held Wootton to just two goals in the second half.
“Getting strong starts is real important,” Gill said. “Getting into the other team’s head and being confident and dominant really helps out.”
After Catonsville (12-6) scored the first three goals, Wootton’s Julie Klatzkin responded with an assist and goal. But the Comets scored four straight goals, the final two by Nonn, to take a commanding 8-2 lead with about eight minutes left in the half.
Getting out to such a big lead was important for Catonsville considering the Comets have lost quite a few tough games this season. Keeping leads has been the problem as the Comets had large halftime leads against Towson and Hereford this season before losing.
“We’ve got to keep the momentum going,” Reymann remembered thinking Friday.
Wootton’s Liza Kaplan and Carrie Bray scored two straight goals to bring the Patriots to just four goals behind but Catonsville’s Abby Sneeringer notched back-to-back goals, the second just 17 seconds after the first, to close out the first half with the Comets ahead, 10-4.
“We lost a lot of games during the regular season by one and coming out here and proving that we’re just as good as all the teams we lost to, it’s awesome,” Nonn said.
Wootton (15-1) was making its first appearance in the state semifinals in school history. Catonsville won the state title in 1996 but had just been in the state championship game twice.
While sitting in the gymnasium before Friday’s drive to North Carroll, ogling the regional championship plaque, Gill made sure her team wasn’t just going to shut down. Friday, the Comets showed the are far from being over.
“We looked over at the other wall and there’s a big space where the state championship banners go,.” Gill said. “ I said, ‘It’s real great to beat Delaney but the state championship, that’s the end prize.’’”