Severna Park girls lacrosse could have panicked when it lost its tenacious scorer, draw specialist and key part of its defense, Erin Hussey, to a second yellow card in the third quarter.

Man-up for two minutes and rid of its most troublesome adversary of Monday’s game so far, Spalding could have snatched the reins then. It could’ve orchestrated a similar rally to last year’s comeback victory over the Falcons, an onslaught that quickly spiraled out of Severna Park’s control.

But junior Maria Bragg remembers that game less than fondly. She had no intention of letting history repeat itself.

“When you lose to a team like that, you want revenge,” she said. “And we had so much faith in each other that we could win this time.”

Lightning-quick, Bragg she sprinted free to strike two goals in the third and fourth quarters, including one while Spalding had the numbers advantage.

Compared to the fireworks of the first half, neither side was able to break down each other’s defense as often as they’d like in the final two quarters. But the Cavaliers (5-3) had no solution for Bragg as the midfielder led her Falcons to the 10-6 victory.

It’s performances like Monday’s that demonstrate why the Severna Park players chose Bragg as one of their captains this season, coach Annie Houghton said.

“Since Maria joined varsity as a freshman, she has been an impact player. But this year?” Houghton said. “She’s fundamentally sound and her IQ is there, but [captaincy] has made her so much more vocal and so much more of a leader.”

Severna Park (6-0) needed Bragg to stay on the field as much as possible in the fourth, and she knew that. If she was asked to take a break, she replied, “I’m good.”

“We’ve got multiple people we can depend on, but in this situation, she’s got the hardest shot,” Houghton said. “She’s not fancy. She just finishes.”

The Falcons almost didn’t need such heroics. After a 2-2 first quarter, they looked to be running off with the game.

Behind nimble draw controls from Hussey and Bragg, Severna Park punched four straight goals in the first two minutes of the second quarter. But as soon as that swift play slowed — as the precise passes faltered and loose balls dribbled across the turf – the Cavaliers grabbed their power back.

Unlike the Falcons’ quick draws to goals pattern, Spalding midfielders scavenged for 50-50 balls and navigated around the Falcons’ heady defense for three straight goals — even using Severna Park’s physicality against them.

Junior Ella Jane Ostrowski nailed the final goal of the half on her second consecutive 8-meter shot. The blowout crumbled as quickly as it cooked, into a 6-5 halftime margin.

But then, the scoring frenzy quieted.

Midway through a scoreless third quarter, Hussey got sidelined for the rest of the night.

Already with the ball, Spalding’s attacks passed around the 8-meter while the Falcons shadowed their every movement. Unlike the first half, the Severna Park defenders reserved some of the turnover-causing swipes that previously either delivered them a possession or a penalty against them. They could not afford to gift the Cavaliers another free position, especially down one of their best.

“[Goalkeeper Lucy Davis] played phenomenal today, but she can’t save every 8-meter,” Houghton said. “We talked about ‘doing the easy.’ Do what gets the ball down to our end of the field and get in our offensive set.”

Carefully but steadily, the Falcons pushed Spalding’s ball-handlers out, forcing them to make those quick passes and preventing them from darting in to shoot. A shot did come eventually, but it sailed over the cage and into Falcon control.

Bragg made good use of that chance. She rounded behind the cage with Makenna Salta and Hadley Zurvalec closing in on either side to cut her off. Bragg side-stepped them, turned for a moment and sniped her first goal, making it 7-5.

That two-goal buffer going into the final period stopped Ostrowski’s goal from having the tide-changing impact Spalding needed. Within two minutes, Bragg again broke loose of her double-team, putting a good five yards between her and anyone else before scoring.

After a few minutes, she again charged to the net. But instead of claiming the chance for herself, she sailed the ball to her left, where senior captain Bella Van Gieson was ready to receive and strike.

“Spalding had a really quick-pressure defense, and we were ready for that,” Bragg said. “Once they would come up, either I would take it or my teammate would. We were all on the same page all game, and we knew where each other would be.”

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING – 2 3 0 1 – 6

SEVERNA PARK – 2 4 1 3 – 10

GOALS – AS: Ava Baselga 2, Ellie Roberts 1, Ellie Downs 1, Ella Jane Ostrowski 1; SP: Erin Hussey 2, Maria Bragg 2, Ava Deegan 2, Bella Van Gieson 2, Payton Jeffers 1, Brooke Vaught 1

ASSISTS – AS: Amanda Gazelle 1; SP: Maria Bragg 1, Erin Hussey 1

SAVES – AS: Ella Davis 4; SP: Lucy Davis 6

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