When Harford County rivals Bel Air and Fallston get together in girls soccer, the emotions and intensity are always cranked extra high.

Bel Air senior forward Lexi Kraemer was able to stay calm at the perfect time in Thursday's showdown at Fallston.

With eight seconds left in the first overtime, the ball came to her foot just inside the 18-yard mark. She settled, found an open spot and placed a shot there to send the No. 11 Bobcats to a 2-1 win over the No. 5 Cougars.

Bel Air improved to 2-2-1 this season. Fallston fell to 3-2.

“I just saw the ball right in front of me and I knew I needed to get my knee over it and strike it the right way. I looked up and found the goal and it was a perfect finish,” Kraemer said. “I didn't even look at the time, I just knew I needed to get it in the goal. And then when I noticed the time I was like, ‘Oh, my God, we did it!'?”

The highly anticipated game featured defending state champions. Bel Air claimed the Class 3A state crown with a 19-0 mark last season, while Fallston finished 19-1 in winning Class 2A.

Fallston's only loss last season? A 2-0 setback against the Bobcats on Oct. 7.

It had the Cougars determined and it showed in the first half as they carried much of the play. But despite a number of dangerous set pieces — a number of long throws by senior right fullback Sydney Crofton and two corner kicks — the Bobcats defense stayed firm and the game was scoreless at the half.

The Bobcats regrouped at the break, picked up their pace and seized momentum at the start of the second half.

Their extra pep paid off when Autumn Dougherty headed home a beautiful free kick from midfield by Haley Seabolt to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 25:45 to play.

The Cougars showed more urgency after falling behind and were able to find the equalizer when Maria Gentile headed home an assist from Crofton to tie the game at 1 with 7:59 to play.

In the end, Kraemer made it the Bobcats' night — her goal a rebound after a shot from Dougherty.

“I know a lot of girls from Fallston and we're like best friends and they're one of our big rivals. It was a really tough game to play, but we knew we could do it if we just played our hardest and we went out there and gave 100 percent,” Kraemer said.

No. 2 Archbishop Spalding 0, No. 4 Notre Dame Prep 0, 2OT: Catherine Davis made five saves for the visiting Cavaliers (5-1-2, 1-0-1 Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference) and Ashley Gabor made six saves for the Blazers (4-1-1, 2-0-1).

No. 13 Atholton 2, No. 14 Centennial 1, OT: Adrienne Vaugh scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winner by Victoria Huxtable as the host Raiders (7-0) beat the Eagles (6-2).

Jasmine McCree gave Centennial a 1-0 lead in the first half.

Severn 5, Garrison Forest 2: Michelle Money had two goals and an assist to lead the Admirals (4-4-1, 3-0-1 IAAM B Conference) past the host Grizzlies (2-5, 1-4).

Chesapeake-AA 6, Meade 0: Amber Collins had a hat trick to lead the Cougars (3-2) past the visiting Mustangs (3-2).

Boys soccer

Broadneck 1, No. 11 South River 0, OT: Trevor Wiggins scored to lift the Bruins (4-2) over the host Seahawks (3-2).

Fred Hill made four saves for Broadneck; Kyle Berkowitz had seven for South River.

Glenelg Country 3, Chapelgate Christian 0: Parker Holbrook had two goals and an assist to lead the Dragons (3-1-1, 3-0 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Conference) past the host Yellow Jackets (0-5-2, 0-2).

Field hockey

No. 1 Archbishop Spalding 3, No. 11 Garrison Forest 1: Margot Lawn had a hat trick to lead the Cavaliers (8-2, 4-1 IAAM A Conference) past the host Grizzlies (7-3, 3-2).

No. 14 Chesapeake-AA 10, Meade 0: Renee Duffy had two goals and an assist and the Cougars (5-1) shut out the host Mustangs (1-4).

Girls volleyball

No. 3 Howard d. Wilde Lake, 3-0: Anna Jezerski had 11 kills and the host Lions (4-1) beat the Wildecats (4-1).

Howard won, 25-19, 25-19, 25-22.

No. 15 Reservoir d. Glenelg, 3-0: The Gators (5-0) overcame a tough second set to beat the host Gladiators (3-2).

“We've been doing that,” Gators coach Jamie Bullock said after her team's 25-13, 27-25, 25-19 win. “We have had our backs against the wall multiple times this season where [the opponent] got 24, and it gets figured out. How bad do you want this game? And they want it.”

—?Tim Schwartz,

Baltimore Sun Media Group

Coed golf

Harford Tech wins: Tied at 204, the Cobras won the two-hole playoff when Josh Kopeck (36) made a 3-foot putt to lift Harford Tech over North Harford at Exton Golf Course.

Baltimore Sun staff contributed to this article.