MARYVALE MOVES UP TO END IND'S FIVE YEAR REIGN IN "A" CONFERENCE
| AFTER WINNING "B" TITLE LAST YEAR, LIONS CLAIM THEIR SECOND STRAIGHT INDDOR SOCCER TITLE
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by Derek Toney
While one school's soccer reign was ended, another continued its ascension yesterday.
Maryvale
Prep won the IAAM A Conference indoor soccer title, stopping five-time
defending champ Institute of Notre Dame, 3-2, at DuBurns Arena. The
Brooklandville school is the first in league history to win titles
back-to-back in different classifications. A year ago, Maryvale claimed
the IAAM B trophy.
"I was kind of worried in the beginning
because you hear about the A Conference, how structured it is and how
tough it is," said Maryvale coach Billy Reinhardt, whose team completed
a 10-1-1 campaign including two victories over IND. "We just took it in
stride, luckily we started off pretty well. We played in the B last
year, and there's really not much different between the two."
"We
never doubted ourselves, but it wasn't our first goal," said Maryvale
senior Samatha Voelker. "We worked through the season and as we got
closer we kind of realized this is within our grasp."
Voelker
did more than her part in helping her team grab the IAAM championship
glass bowl. She scored two goals while another shot caromed off the
board and Erin McPherson fired the rebound in at the 15th minute mark
of the second half, breaking a 1-1 tie.
About three minutes
later, Voelker's free kick from about 25 yards away got past IND goalie
Lauren Vetock for a two-goal advantage. IND (10-2) came right back
after a timeout with a goal by Mara Hauf.
After that timeout,
IND slowly went back to their positions while Maryvale broke the huddle
with the chant "Team," that could be heard around DuBurns Arena. Though
IND immediately scored, the defending champs weren't able to keep the
glass bowl for another year in east Baltimore.
"It was an eye
opener," said IND first-year coach Lauren Cunningham, whose team's
other goal came from Sofia Gyftopoulos. "The girls can't take teams
lightly, but they played their hearts out. Maryvale is a great team."
With
last fall's IAAM B outdoor soccer title, Maryvale has won championship
in the last three soccer-playing seasons, another first. Not bad
considering Reinhardt says lacrosse is the sport of choice at Maryvale.
"These girls are outright athletes, every single one plays
lacrosse not soccer," said Reinhardt, who's expecting at least six
players with club soccer experience in the coming fall. "But because
they're athletes, they're able to transition over and just learn the
game and have fun."
Laura Renaud, Megan Roberts and Sophia
Thomas were selected to the A Conference all-star team for Maryvale
with Vetock and Fraser gaining the honor for IND. The rest of the squad
includes Friends School's Brooke Matthews and Flannery McArdle, Ore
Badaki from Glenelg Country School, John Carroll's Jenna Quaranta,
Laura DaLesio from Notre Dame Prep, Park's Gabby Lessons, Jenny Wolock
from Roland Park Country, St. John's Catholic Prep's Kelly Spelmen and
Kate Evans and Kelly Muedeking from St. Paul's School. |
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