Success breeds confidence. Long Reach field hockey is a great example of that.

The Lightning entered this year coming off an undefeated regular season and a share of the Howard County championship. That gave the group a heightened confidence level and a different mentality.

Before last season, a winning season was a shock. But by returning many of the same pieces, consistent winning became the expectation. But even with that standard, the Lightning are careful to not underestimate any opponent. They’re inherently familiar with being seen as underdogs and therefore focus on bringing their best every night.

Monday against Centennial, that confidence radiated. Long Reach took control early and closed out a 5-0 home win. The victory clinches the Sierra Division title and a spot in the Howard County championship against Summit Division winner Glenelg after the conclusion of the regular season.

“I think that last year we had two really good players and we were kind of uncomfortable with it, being that good,” Long Reach’s Jill Shanley said. “This year, we’re comfortable. We’re comfortable in our own abilities and it’s really nice to see that.”

That collective belief started in the summer with diligent offseason work, which set the tone in early-season practices and scrimmages.

“I think from our second scrimmage of the year against Bel Air, we saw that we really had it,” Leilani Stewart said. “We played with a lot of intensity during that game. We got some really key shots and a couple of penalty strokes. I feel like that just really translated and gave us the confidence going into the season, we could beat the teams we beat last year and potentially beat the better teams.”

However, with success came a more challenging schedule. Long Reach (8-2, 5-0 Sierra Division) has already faced third-ranked Broadneck, Marriotts Ridge and 10th-ranked Mt. Hebron, last year’s Class 3A state champion.

While the Lightning lost to the Bruins and Vikings, each contest offered a glimpse into the Lightning’s growth. Mt. Hebron ended Long Reach’s season last year with a 6-1 playoff victory. This year, Mt. Hebron needed overtime to outlast the Lightning, 2-1.

Long Reach welcomes another difficult test on Wednesday, hosting three-time reigning 2A champion Glenelg.

“There’s a lot of talent in Howard County,” Long Reach coach Stephanie De Wit said. “So, I think playing these very talented teams just helps elevate our level of play. I think that’s been apparent in our performances these last few games.”

Those tangible improvements can also be attributed to their comfort with one another. The Lightning’s connection off the field is a driving force in their on-field success. That connectivity fosters consistent communication at all three levels of the field and allows them to push and bring out the best in one another.

However, it also allows for moments of reflection. Long Reach’s seniors recall the struggle to win games three years ago. Now, they are trying to soak in every moment as the Lightning will compete for a county championship.

“It just makes me extremely happy,” Delaney Daffan said. “I couldn’t pick a better group of girls to have this experience with. I feel like all of the girls who have been with us since freshman year, we all stuck it out. It’s exhilarating to see the wins that we get and everything that we’ve accomplished ever since I’ve been here.”

Shanley added: “My freshman year, I think we lost to Centennial 7-0. To beat them and to beat other teams like them, it’s just so surreal. If you told freshman-year me that we would be winning these games, I wouldn’t believe you. I would laugh in your face.”

Other field hockey scores:

South Carroll 4, Winters Mill 0

Manchester Valley 3, Century 0

Bryn Mawr 7, McDonogh 0

Crofton 8, Arundel 0

Broadneck 9, Old Mill 0

North County 10, Meade 0

Northeast 4, Glen Burnie 0

Patterson Mill 7, Aberdeen 1

C. Milton Wright 5, Perryville 0

Fallston 4, North Harford 2

Reservoir 3, Atholton 0

Glenelg 11, Marriotts Ridge 0

River Hill 3, Howard 0

Towson 6, Perry Hall 1

Girls soccer

Century 1, Manchester Valley 0: With a 13-day break between games, Century girls soccer coach Chris Little took the time to prepare his team on multiple fronts as they look toward the stretch run of the season.

One day last week, instead of practicing Little took his team on a trip to see Manchester Valley play Liberty. Little and his girls were able to do some scouting and come up with a game plan for two top challengers to the Knights’ county championship.

On Monday, Century got to put its Manchester Valley scouting report to good use.

“The girls that came to the game really got to see how quick, fast and talented we thought Manchester Valley was,” Little said. “So we had to give him a lot of respect even before we took the field tonight.”

With film thoroughly studied and a solid plan in place, it was time to execute and the Knights did just that, shutting out the Mavericks, 1-0, Monday night for another county victory.

— Timothy Dashiell

Severn Run 4, Glen Burnie 0: Severn Run senior Jasmine Escobar booted a ball between the uprights and made the field goal motion with a laugh. When her younger teammate, sophomore Karlyana Beverly, broke the ice with a goal in the first half, Escobar was one of the first to fling her arms around her.

But Escobar wanted a goal in this game more than any other this fall.

With 11:22 left in the second half, Escobar jumped into a melee on a corner kick. When the ball popped into the air, she sprang up, meeting it with her head and sending it into the net.

The announcement of “Goal, Escobar” wasn’t given quite the same enthusiasm as it did when it came out of the same speakers a year ago and Escobar was scoring for the host Gophers. The cheers that poured out of the stands belonged to parents toting a Severn Run orange sign, similar to the Glen Burnie ones lining the other side of the bleachers.

“I was excited they invited us for their senior night. I’ve been excited — all day I was hyping the other girls up. When it’s game time, you have to be ready,” Escobar said. “Today was a good day.”

It was, at least, for the first-year Wolves squad that posted its second victory of the season over Glen Burnie, 4-0.

— Katherine Fominykh

South Carroll 4, Winters Mill 3

Westminster 7, Francis Scott Key 2

Liberty 8, Poly 1

Volleyball

Eastern Tech 3, Sparrows Point 0: In their annual “Dig Pink” game, Eastern Tech Volleyball raised money for a noble cause off the court and dominated on the court, sweeping Sparrows Point, 25-15, 25-17 25-18, to claim their fifth consecutive straight-sets victory.

Along with the victory, Eastern Tech raised nearly $1,000 for the Side-Out Foundation, a group dedicated to finding a cure for metastatic breast cancer.

“Total team effort,” Eastern Tech coach David Thorne said. “Having a ‘Dig Pink’ game gave us a spark. It’s bigger than volleyball today … I know the girls get really jacked up for it.”

Indeed, the Mavericks received contributions from up and down the roster. Shawna Dyer led the way with 13 kills, Vivian Woods and Laila Hartley notched five apiece. Six Mavericks struck with aces, punctuated by Hartley’s five.

— Aidan Thomas, for Baltimore Sun Media

South Carroll 3, Westminster 0

Manchester Valley 3, Liberty 2

South River 3, Glen Burnie 0

Atholton 3, Marriotts Ridge 1

Boys soccer

Annapolis 2, Meade 1

Chesapeake 5, Chesapeake Science Point 0

Glen Burnie 1 Severn Run 0

Broadneck 6, Old Mill 0

Perry Hall 4, Catonsville 1

Carver A&T 1, Patapsco 0

Eastern Tech 6, Franklin 0

Fallston 3, North Harford 2

Patterson Mill 3, C Milton Wright 2

Harford Tech 1, Bel Air 0

South Carroll 4, Winters Mill 0

Century 7, Manchester Valley 0

Westminster 4, Francis Scott Key 1

Golf

Manchester Valley’s Jackson Streett and South Carroll’s Patrick Carl won championships at the District I tournament at Black Rock. Streett shot a 1-under 71 to win the 4A/3A championship, while Carl posted a 3-under 69 to win the 2A/1A division.

In the team standings, Manchester Valley won the 4A/3A title, the first in school history.

Baltimore Sun Media staff contributed to this article.