Fallston's Caitlin Walker (left) and Centennial's Mollie Vorel battle for possession during Wednesday's evening state 3A semifinal game at Broadneck.
Centennial coach Gail Purcell walks towards the sidelines after the Eagles' 5-1 loss to Fallston, marking the end of Purcell's 33-year coaching career.
Standing in between her assistants, Centennial High School field hockey coach Gail Purcell leaned forward to take a quick peek at the clock. It read 30.5 seconds on the scoreboard at Broadneck High.
Moments later, the final whistle blew and Purcell walked a few yards out onto the turf to meet her team. Some players hugged. Some cried, overwhelmed with the reality.
There won't be a fairytale ending for the Eagles and their coach. On a chilly evening Wednesday, Centennial dropped a 5-1 decision to Fallston in the Class 3A state semifinals, marking the end of Purcell's 33-year coaching career.
"It had to end at some point," said Purcell, who's been at Centennial for 31 seasons. "We were really happy to get back and it was a nice way to say goodbye."
"I know she's not disappointed in us," said Eagles' junior forward Kate Heineman. "We won county, regionals and I think a lot of people didn't think we would make it this far."
Riding the emotion and excitement of Purcell's final run, Centennial (16-3) dethroned Glenelg as Howard County champions, then eliminated county rivals Wilde Lake, Long Reach and Atholton to win the East Region crown. But those ingredients simply weren't enough to match an extremely talented and skilled Fallston unit.
Lindsey Puckett had three goals for Fallston (15-2-1), and Caitlin Dempsey and Rachel Cooke each added a goal. Caitlin Walker, Kristina Fusco and Alyssa Elliott had assists for the Cougars, who will play Bethesda-Chevy Chase for the state title, Tuesday evening at Broadneck.
"I don't think we expected them to be this good," said Eagles' senior attack Sarah Parks. "We both wanted it, but we had to adapt."
"I think we haven't seen this level of competition all year, and I think that always sets you back for a little bit," said Purcell. "They played a beautiful game, sticks on the ball, movement. That's the team you want to lose to, the team that's going to win states."
Purcell and the Eagles were that team in 1995, handing Fallston its first loss in three seasons in the championship game. Cougars coach Alice Puckett, a complementary of Purcell, said it was bittersweet watching Purcell's career come to a close.
"She's brought a lot to the sport. She is a great role model and advocate for women's sports," said Puckett in her 25th season at the Harford County school. "I've never heard anyone say anything bad about her, and that's says a lot."
Fallston's play spoke loud and clear on the Broadneck turf Wednesday. About two minutes in, Cooke scored. With eight minutes, 44 seconds left in the first half, Lindsey Puckett scored on an assist from Walker, giving the Cougars a 2-0 cushion at intermission.
Within a seven-minute frame in the second half, Puckett fired shots that rattled the board inside the goal, completing the "hat trick." The Eagles avoided their second shutout in the last 37 contests when Mary Teeters scored on a penalty stroke with 12:05 remaining, but the momentum was short-lived as Dempsey scored less than 30 seconds later.
"They move to the ball, they have their sticks up, they do everything they should do," said Purcell. "It's very evident they play indoor and it really showed on turf tonight. We just couldn't get anything going. I feel when the girls came out they didn't know what hit them."
Purcell said the reality of not coaching won't come until next Aug. 15, the first day of preseason practice. She's likely to be at the beach where she'll be spending more time and "taking long weekend." Though it didn't have the perfect ending, Purcell is still riding off into the sunset.
"Right now, I'm just enjoying all these girls who've been a very big part of my life," said Purcell. "They didn't let down, they fought until the end. I'm very proud of them."
State Class 3A Field Hockey semifinal
Fallston 5, Centennial 1
Goals: Fallston-Puckett 3, Dempsey, Cooke; Centennial-Teeters. Assists: Fallston-Walker, Fusco, Elliott. Saves: Fallston-Sadowski, Gerbes 3; Centennial-Snyder 5.