Broadneck field hockey’s 2023 season ended with a loss to Crofton in the Class 4A semifinals. It was a defeat the Bruins had to sit on for 10 months before they got back on the field. But the wait for revenge didn’t take long.

The new season began as the old one ended, with Broadneck staring down Crofton.

Despite spotting the top-ranked Cardinals the first goal, No. 2 Broadneck rallied for a 2-1 victory behind a pair of fourth-quarter tallies. Senior Faith Everett fired the game-winning score with less than three minutes left.

“I am really proud of the way that we don’t give up and the way that we play till literally the last whistle,” Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty said. “We have a lot of grit and we are building a lot of trust amongst ourselves and that’s what you need in teams.”

After Crofton broke the stalemate in the third quarter, Broadneck swiftly responded in the fourth. Forward Raleigh Kerst drilled a penalty corner goal to tie the game at 1.

Overtime was rapidly approaching, but Everett wouldn’t let it get that far. The midfielder darted down the field and slung a fast-break goal that bounced off the board.

With no time remaining, Crofton was awarded a pair of penalty corners. However, the Bruins’ defense stiffened and halted both attempts to win the game.

“We started down, but we are very consistent on just focusing on our play no matter what,” Kerst said. “We knew we weren’t done with even a minute left. It was so close, we had to give that 100%.”

Everett, a University of Maryland commit, finished with 16 goals and nine assists in 2023, while Kerst recorded a school-record 21 goals last season.

“We’re a very athletic group, which is just always helpful with speed and field awareness,” Everett said. “We also all get along really well so the team dynamic is just super strong.”

The Bruins controlled most of the first half offensively. Broadneck had multiple scoring opportunities in the first period including a trio of penalty corners, but couldn’t get a shot past the Cardinals’ defense and goalie Ryleigh Osborne. The same held true in the second quarter. The Bruins controlled the ball for much of the frame but again couldn’t slide a score past Osborne.

The scoreless streak was broken in the third by Crofton senior Sophia Galarza. The forward flicked a shot over the head of Broadneck’s goalkeeper, which dropped into the back of the goal.

The Bruins defeated Crofton, 2-1, a year ago in the regular season before earning another one-goal victory in the Anne Arundel County championship game in October. The Cardinals avenged the pair of losses with a 2-0 victory in the state semifinals — winning the championship one game later.

“I don’t think anything went wrong besides the fact that the ball didn’t go our way that game,” Hanratty said. “We gave them everything we had, we made as many adjustments as we could, and just the score didn’t go our way that day.”

The two sides’ familiarity extends past their respective high school teams. Many of the girls play on the same club teams in the winter and spring, including some with commitments to the same college.

The Bruins returned 12 seniors this year in a group Hanratty noted had a lot of depth with leadership. Six of Broadneck’s seniors are currently committed to play collegiately. Hanratty noted she observes her seniors pull freshmen aside during practice to explain the concepts and drills to the less-experienced players.

“They’re remembering that they were once the freshman, sophomore, maybe even the junior who’s the first time on varsity. They remember what it feels like,” Hanratty said. “They’re great leaders because they walk the walk and talk the talk. They know how to help.”

Other field hockey scores:

Eastern Tech 2, Perry Hall 1

Manchester Valley 10, Tuscarora 0

Century 2, Dulaney 0

South River 7, Arundel 0

North County 8, Glen Burnie 0

Chesapeake 1, Annapolis 0

Severn 3, Mount de Sales 1

Boys soccer

River Hill 2, Marriotts Ridge 1 (OT): River Hill boys soccer had to pick itself up in a hurry after host Marriotts Ridge pressed in the second half and put in a tying goal with 10 minutes to play in regulation Tuesday.

The No. 8 Hawks showed resilience with an ideal overtime connection: Defender Luke Martinez heading home Charlie Gerber’s free kick in the fourth minute of extra time for a satisfying 2-1 road win over the Mustangs in Howard County play.

Gerber’s service from the right edge of the penalty area was precise, as was Martinez’s header from 14 yards that found the top right corner. River Hill improves to 2-0 overall, while Marriotts Ridge is now 1-1.

“At the end, I just knew when Charlie hit it that it was coming straight to me. … And then right when I hit it, I knew it was going in. It’s an amazing feeling,” Martinez said. “I really couldn’t have done it without everyone here. They all helped. Everything was set up for me to score the goal.”

— Glenn Graham

Gerstell 5, Saint John’s Catholic 0

Williamsport 3, Francis Scott Key 1

St. Mary’s 3, Glenelg Country School 1

Chesapeake 4, Annapolis 1

Towson 4, Fallston 2

Severn 4, Bullis 0

Broadneck 2, Crofton 0

Calvert Hall 0, St. Paul’s 0

Hereford 4, Eastern Tech 1

Howard 4, Oakland Mills 0

C. Milton Wright 8, Havre de Grace 0

South Carroll 5, Smithsburg 0

Girls soccer

River Hill 2, Marriotts Ridge 0: River Hill girls soccer coach Brian Song challenged his girls at halftime. Despite the Hawks maintaining a one-goal lead over Marriotts Ridge, Song implored his girls to find another gear and turn up the pressure.

The Hawks ratcheted up the second-half intensity with persistent attacking pressure. That paid dividends in the 74th minute as midfielder Leila Abban doubled the Hawks’ lead. The junior took a perfectly placed through ball from senior forward Katie Huang and gave the Hawks a valuable insurance goal in a 2-0 win over the Mustangs.

“At halftime, I said, ‘Girls, they’re tired just as you are. We need to pull up a second gear,’” Song said. “I put a little bit of oomph on the girls and they responded. Even though we only scored one goal in the second half, I think our play was much faster. The ball movement was much better in the second half.”

— Jacob Steinberg

Aberdeen 8, Woodlawn 0

Patterson Mill 3, North East 0

C. Milton Wright 4, Havre de Grace 0

Sparrows Point 4, Bel Air 1

Catonsville 5, Franklin 0

Long Reach 1, Glenelg 0

Howard 9, Oakland Mills 0

Centennial 7, Reservoir 3

Notre Dame Prep 2, Century 0

Francis Scott Key 5, Williamsport 0

Liberty 2, St. Paul’s 0

Winters Mill 7, Frederick 0

Westminster 3, Linganore 0

South Carroll 1, Smithsburg 0

Glen Burnie 5, Chesapeake Science Point 0

South River 4, Arundel 0

Volleyball

Westminster 3, Liberty 1: Coming off a tough nonconference road loss one night earlier, Westminster volleyball needed to shake it off quickly. Coach Ben Lee knew how important it was for his girls to respond and rebound in a big way as they hosted Liberty on Tuesday night.

Lee saw a little bit of everything from his team as his Owls showcased why they are viewed as favorites to compete for the Carroll County title. They displayed power, dominance, and most importantly, poise, as they defeated the Lions in four sets for their first county win of the season.

“It was a great win for us in our first county game,” Lee said. “It was great to bounce back after last night’s loss.”

Westminster cruised through the first two sets, ran into a hiccup in the third, but closed the match strong, 25-18, 25-11, 22-25, 25-14.

“It was a great team effort for us,” Westminster’s Bella Caraway said. “We stayed up and stayed positive even when we got down and we kept pushing.”

— Timothy Dashiell

C. Milton Wright 3, Fallston 1: Last year, C. Milton Wright and Fallston battled it out in three close matches. The Cougars won the first two, but in the end, it was the Mustangs that prevailed for a regional crown.

In Tuesday’s season opener for both teams, the Mustangs got the best of things this go around, defeating host Fallston, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19.

“I would call this a rivalry,” said Mustangs senior Ana Mioduski, who finished with 15 kills. “While I think very highly of Fallston, I knew this was an important [match] for us. We made a lot of mistakes out there, but it was important for us to get a win and start the senior on a good note.”

No. 13 C. Milton Wright looked like two different teams. The Mustangs and Cougars split the first two sets with identical 25-22 scores, but in the end, the Mustangs’ experience proved to be too much for Fallston to overcome.

— Mike Frainie, for The Baltimore Sun

Edgewood 3, Havre de Grace 0

Patterson Mill 3, Rising Sun 0

Bel Air 3, Aberdeen 0

John Carroll 3, Glenelg Country 0

Howard 3, Oakland Mills 0

Reservoir 3, Centennial 0

River Hill 3, Marriotts Ridge 2

Carver A&T 3, Western Tech 1

Severna Park 3, Glen Burnie 0

South River 3, Arundel 1

Manchester Valley 3, Winters Mill 1

Walkersville 3, Francis Scott Key 1

South Carroll 3, Smithsburg 1

Boys golf

North Harford 185, Fallston 188, Patterson Mill 222

Glenelg 73, Guilford Park 24

Reservoir 82, Guilford Park 24

Girls golf

Glenelg 64, Guilford Park 13

Guilford Park 13, Reservoir 2