The bell tolled on the Mt. Hebron boys soccer team’s Cinderella postseason run — and then it didn’t.

During the first round of the penalty shootout to conclude Saturday’s Class 3A state semifinal and with South River clinging to a 3-2 advantage, Vikings senior Dominic Broccolino had his attempt clang off the post and away from the goal, signaling a Seahawks victory. Instead, South River goalkeeper Bryan Wise was deemed to have left his line too early.

Broccoliono then buried his next attempt into the back of the net, and after a third penalty save by Vikings goalkeeper Jonathan Sanchez, including one in the second overtime, Luukas Nguyen punched in the game-winner.

After a 1-1 regulation finish, the Vikings won the shootout, 4-3, and a trip to next weekend’s 3A state final at Loyola Maryland against River Hill at a day and time to be announced.

The thrilling but controversial victory extended Mt. Hebron’s improbable march to the program’s sixth state final and first since capturing a state crown in 2006. The Vikings (10-7) entered the 2024 postseason at 5-7 in regional play.

The first half of Saturday’s contest at Glen Burnie was mostly a defensive stalemate with the teams combining for just a couple of shots on goal. That is until Chris Belcher broke the deadlock with what appeared to be a cross to the center of the penalty area where the ball ricocheted off the leaping hands of Wise and into the goal with 17:39 left before halftime.

Inspired by that score, the Vikings largely controlled possession the rest of the half but could not breach the South River goal through a combination of a few offside penalties and a quality look by Parker Smith that sailed well over the goal.

Showing a renewed sense of urgency to start the second half, the Seahawks dominated possession for the first 18 minutes, resulting in three quality shots by Lucas Cerulla that were either saved or just off the mark until center back Tillman Johnson took a pass from Donovan Green on a corner kick and put the ball in the back of the net with 22:14 left in regulation to knot the score at 1.

South River continued to dominate possession and was the much more dangerous team for the rest of the half, but it could not find the back of the net largely through a concerted defensive effort in the box by the Vikings and the stingy play of Sanchez.

“I’m proud of my boys. They worked hard,” said South River coach Marlyn Argueta, whose squad finished 14-4-1. “Unfortunately, it has to come down to PKs and a wild call. We thought we had won there. It’s just an insane thing to call. Hats off to Mt. Hebron. It is what it is.”

The Seahawks did have a chance to win in the second overtime as Jay Hughes drew a foul inside the penalty area to set up a penalty kick opportunity for Cerulla, but Sanchez made the save on the ground ball kick to his left.

During the shootout, South River took a 3-2 lead behind goals from Daniel Rodriguez, Lucas Gardeniers, and Kamil Niwa and a pair of saves by Wise before the miss and then make by Broccolino.

“I thought the season was over, but once I saw the [assistant referee] raise the flag, I told my teammate, ‘Head up, head up,’” Sanchez said. “’You’ve got a second chance. Make it this time.’”

C. Milton Wright 2, Hereford 0: Axel Lorentzen anchored C. Milton Wright’s high-powered offense all season. But an injury in practice ahead of Saturday’s Class 2A state semifinal kept him out of the Mustangs’ most important contest to date. But all that did was open room for new stars to shine.

It was a pair of underclassmen. Sophomore Lucas Barker and junior Charlie Kitz scored the Mustangs’ two goals in their 2-0 win over Hereford to push C. Milton Wright to its sixth state title game appearance of the last decade.

C. Milton Wright has yet to allow a goal through four postseason games. The Mustangs have given up just seven scores over their last 10 games dating to September.

— Taylor Lyons

River Hill 2, Catonsville 0: River Hill senior midfielder Joseph Montgomery scored with just over a minute left in the first half to break a scoreless tie, and the Hawks played stellar defense to hold off relentless pressure from Catonsville in the second half to advance to the Class 3A state championship game after a 2-0 victory in Saturday’s semifinal at Glen Burnie.

The Hawks (13-3) will face Howard County rival Mt. Hebron at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Montgomery’s game-winner came off a through ball from Sam Van Ert. River Hill added an own goal when Logan Aranda’s ball was redirected by a Comets defender into the net with 4:22 left.

Catonsville (9-7) was making only its second state semifinal appearance in school history and refused to fold. The Comets’ best scoring chance came in the first half when Matt Carlson’s shot leaked wide.

— Craig J. Clary

Girls

Towson 3, Oakdale 1: Sophomore forward Gia Celenza scored the go-ahead goal early in the second half, the defense stayed tidy afterward and senior defender Koto Davis scored on a free kick with 15 minutes left to send the Generals to next week’s championship game with a win over Oakdale at Linganore High.

Towson (15-1) will take on Severna Park with a chance to bring home the program’s first state title.

The Generals came out well but found themselves down when Oakdale senior Ryleigh Alcala made a strong run down the left side and neatly placed a shot inside the far post from 10 yards for the opening goal in the 14th minute.

Unfazed, the Generals stuck to their game.

They carried the play and had close chances go for naught until earning their fourth corner kick of the first half with 9:38 to play. Davis’ strike found its way to the far post where Lila Minton was ready to finish to tie the game.

Celenza came into the game leading the Generals in goals this season with 11 and was looking forward to the chance to add to the total. When the opportunity came nine minutes into the second half, she pounced, heading home a cross from Ari Defino from 8 yards for the Generals’ first lead.

— Baltimore Sun staff

C. Milton Wright 1, Sparrows Point 0, 2OT: Lilly Budelis didn’t start this season with C. Milton Wright. She began her sophomore campaign on junior varsity, but it took just two weeks to impress and earn a promotion.

Weeks later, Budelis found herself in a position to send her team to the state championship game.

Through 90 minutes of regulation, a 10-minute overtime period and seven minutes into a second overtime, no one found the back of the net. But a boot upfield in the final seconds gave the darting forward an open look.

She scored the game’s first and only goal, and an eruption followed.

Budelis first searched for teammates to celebrate with. The Laurel High School stadium lights flashed as the pack of Mustangs raced to the bleachers to meet friends and family.

Budelis’ double-overtime game-winner pushed C. Milton Wright past Sparrows Point in the 2A state semifinal Saturday night, stamping her breakthrough sophomore year with an unforgettable goal.

The Mustangs avenged last year’s defeat to the Pointers in this same round and will play Queen Anne’s in the state final.

— Taylor Lyons

Severna Park 1, Chesapeake-AA 0, OT: Severna Park’s Abby Cover couldn’t hide her excitement after scoring the game-winning goal with 4:21 left in the first 10-minute overtime to give the Falcons a 1-0 victory over Chesapeake-AA in the Class 3A state semifinals at Glen Burnie High.

It was the only one that got past dominant Chesapeake goalie Ryleigh Smoot, who made five of her seven saves in the second half, including two very difficult ones.

Severna Park (15-1) advances to the state final against Towson on Thursday at 5 p.m. The Falcons are making their 12th trip to the final and are seeking the school’s eighth state title.

— Craig J. Clary