Glenelg's mantra throughout the postseason has been “unfinished business.”

The Gladiators made it through a tough section, beating perennial Howard County girls lacrosse powers and top-10 teams such as Mount Hebron and Marriotts Ridge, but they knew the job was not done. They dominated C. Milton Wright in the state semifinal with a commanding 12-goal victory, but they quickly refocused.

So as the seconds ticked down on their 14-1 win over Oakdale on Tuesday at Stevenson in the Class 3A-2A state title game, the third-ranked Gladiators celebrated and relished the moment.

“We've played a lot of these hard teams in the beginning of playoffs in our section and I think when we had these big wins we made a point of saying, ‘OK, this is awesome, but we're done now. We've got to move on to the next game. … Every time we're like, ‘We're not done,'?” Gladiators senior Julia Salandra said. “It just felt so good. It was finally here.”

It is Glenelg's first state championship since 2008 and the win marks the sixth state title for longtime coach Ginger Kincaid — three in lacrosse and three in field hockey.

“There's no way this happens with just me,” Kincaid said. “My coaching staff — there's not a better one around. ... I'm blessed I've been here that many times; that's just great.”

Alayna Pagnotta (three goals) scored the game's first goal for Glenelg after a lengthy possession.

The Bears' Melissa Semkiw (11 saves) played a solid game in goal and kept Oakdale in it for a while. Her two early saves set the stage for Hannah Clingan to tie the game at 1 on a free position with about 20 minutes left in the first half.

It was the Bears' only goal. Glenelg created 11 turnovers — including eight in the first half — and was backed by stellar play by sophomore goalie Maddie McSally (eight saves).

McSally, who replaced the graduated Megan Taylor, who now plays for Maryland, had really hit her stride as of late and solidified an already stout defensive unit.

“Of course I've always felt pressure, especially coming in after Megan,” McSally said. “I mean, she's an amazing goalie. Stepping up after her was definitely a challenge, but I think during playoffs I think I finally came to my senses and started feeling comfortable with the team and really knowing that I belong. We really work as a unit and together on defense. It's really come together nicely and it's really awesome.”

Georgia Esmond (two goals, three assists) started what became a game-ending 13-0 run by scoring her first goal of the game with 16:18 remaining in the half.

“They're just deep,” Oakdale coach Beth Nave said. “They had subs that were as fast and strong as the starters, and they really had few weaknesses to expose. It's just hard to find their weaknesses — usually when you have such a strong team like that you might find a weakness in the goalie and that wasn't there either.”

Courtney Renehan (two goals) scored three minutes later, capitalizing on a great double-team by Salandra and Emily Nalls, which resulted in another Bears turnover.

“Since they've hit their playoff stride, they've just not looked back,” Kincaid said. “They're playing at all cylinders. We started this team a few years ago built on defense and we've carried it through until the end. The defense allowed the offense to do all the things they did with confidence because when you're up and the other team only has one goal, you can take all kinds of risks and do all kinds of things.”

Glenelg's offense was balanced, as Lindsay LeTellier (two goals, one assist), Pagnotta, Rachel Scheinberg, Peighton Stone, Jenny Giampalmo, Renehan, Maddy O'Brien and Anna Callahan (one goal, one assist) all had at least one score.

Said Salandra: “We just worked so hard all year and our coaches have pushed us so hard all year. They pulled us to the highest of expectations and we pulled ourselves to the highest of expectations, I think, and it just feels amazing that it all paid off in the end.”