Broadneck Falls In Field Hockey State Final

Broadneck’s field hockey team suffered two shutouts and three public school losses in the last three seasons combined. All three came against the same foe.

Once again, Crofton proved to be kryptonite for the Bruins, as the Cardinals blanked Broadneck 2-0 to repeat as Class 4A state champions on November 9.

Two goals, both from corners, in the middle periods gave Crofton the breathing space they needed to clog passing lanes and make life difficult for Broadneck. The Bruins still had plenty of chances to score, including two point-blank open-goal chances where they just couldn’t get a stick on the ball.

“It’s disappointing to see it end that way, because we worked so hard, but I’m proud of everyone. We tried to connect, and it just didn’t go our way today,” said Broadneck senior midfielder Faith Everett. “It was a competitive game and it could have gone either way.”

Meanwhile, Crofton had opportunities of their own, scoring on two corners and nearly netting on two others, only for Clare Imber to clear off the line in both instances.

The Bruins racked up five corners in the first quarter and had nine in the game overall, but they couldn’t solve Crofton goalie Ryleigh Osborne.

It was a rematch of the 2023 Class 4A semifinal, which Crofton won by an identical score. This time, the battle was for all the marbles.

“I’m proud of my team; they have one heck of a goalie,” said Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty.

The Bruins were used to playing from behind this season, routinely coming back with a late rally, or a timely burst, to seize control of their games and see them out to the end. It worked against Crofton in the regular season and against several other opponents.

In the playoffs, things were a little easier, except for the regional final against Leonardtown. Broadneck beat Annapolis 7-0 before edging the Raiders 1-0 on their home field, courtesy of a second-half Raleigh Kerst goal. Mia Moody made that stand up with five saves to get the Bruins back into the state playoffs.

From there, they clinched a third successive state semifinal berth with a 10-0 dispatching of Montgomery Blair, followed by a narrow 3-2 win over Winston Churchill in which the Bruins scored the first three goals. The first came 20 seconds in from Cayman Holmes, while freshman Cate Imber added the other two, before Churchill rallied.

But the Bruins had just enough to see the Bulldogs off, leaning on a trust built up over several years for one another to get the job done and not panic, even if things didn’t look great at the time.

“This group, and the experience they have, if this season has taught us anything, it's how resilient this group is,” Hanratty said. “This season’s been different than the rest, so I’m really proud of this group for earning as many days as possible. … It’s just trust. Nobody who misses something has someone glare at them; it’s encouragement. We have a lot of trust and support within each other. It’s a matter of supporting each other, and we did a good job of that.”

The Bruins graduate a dozen seniors, 10 of whom contributed to the team on-field this season: Imber, Everett, Kerst, Holmes, Moody, Katelyn Kearns, Grace Figueroa, Allie Grieb, Izzy Lunay, and Abbie Morris. They also will bid farewell to Chloe Page and Gabby King, both of whom missed this season due to injury.