Senior Billy Zito dribbles through three Queen Anne’s defenders while attacking the goal during the first period of the Falcons’ 2-1 victory. Photos by Colin Murphy

By Colin Murphy

The Severna Park High School boys soccer team took the first step in their quest for a 2011 state championship with a 2-1 home win over Queen Anne’s in a three-period scrimmage on September 1. After cancellations due to Hurricane Irene forced the Falcons to miss a series of scrimmages the previous weekend, the Severna Park boys nonetheless looked aggressive in the attacking game and played crisp possession soccer against Queen Anne’s in just their second interscholastic competition of the young season. Coming off a 14-3-2 season a year ago, the Falcons are set on avenging their state semifinal loss to MacGruder in the 2010 MPSSAA playoffs, and Head Varsity Assistant Stan Malm sees lots of positives in the squad at this early stage of the season.

“It went well today,” said Malm following the game against Queen Anne’s. “We’ve got a lot of young players and a very deep bench—which is something we haven’t had in the past—and at this point in time we really like what we’re seeing.”

Senior Alex Moore flies towards a Queen Anne’s defender while challenging for a loose ball. Moore scored the Falcons first goal in Severna Park’s 2-1 victory in the 90-minute scrimmage on September 1.

Severna Park dominated from the opening whistle against Queen Anne’s, winning the vast majority of 50-50 balls to repeatedly maintain possession and create scoring chances in the first period. Tied at 0-0 after one, the Falcons showcased their team-wide passing ability in the second period, knocking the ball to and fro while the Queen Anne’s defenders gave fruitless chase. Senior forward Alex Moore took a pass from sophomore midfielder Austin Spence and snuck a shot beneath the charging Queen Anne’s keeper from about 20 yards to put the Falcons ahead 1-0. Spence pushed the lead to 2-0 moments later after a sequence of give-and-go passes up the right side freed him up for a shot, which he curved cleverly around the goalie into the side of the net from about 20 yards.

“We’re connecting well,” said Moore after the contest, noting that while some teams see the integration of inexperienced players as an initially challenging process, this team is excited for the addition of young talent to an already strong core. “We have a lot of new kids coming to the team, so I think we’re going to do pretty well this year.”

Coach Malm likewise spoke about how the team’s depth allows for versatility within any given matchup. “I don’t think our identity is that we’re a possession team per se. We’re a team that has the ability to take what the opposition gives us. If the situation dictates that we knock it around and wait for our opening, then that’s what we’ll do. If it’s a game where we’re under tremendous pressure then we might change our style of attack and get the ball out on the flanks much more quickly.”

Senior captain Billy Zito agreed and expressed confidence in his team’s hope for a state title. “Every year is different, but this year we’ve got a good attack and solid defenders,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and we want to win the state championship, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

Left back [name] escapes a Queen Anne’s tackle as his teammates look on from the bench. Severna Park won the 90-minute scrimmage by a score of 2-1.