Bruins Aiming For Consistency To Hit Peak Performance

As soon as the ball hit the back of the net to end Broadneck’s 2-1 overtime loss to Severna Park in their field hockey clash on October 13, the Bruins trudged off the field and immediately began the self-diagnosis.

The manner of defeat was frustrating, compounded by the fact that Broadneck scored first courtesy of junior midfielder and captain Shea Fitzpatrick. But in a season that has continued a long transition, there was a healthy dose of perspective and optimism about the road ahead.

It was just Broadneck’s third loss of the season. They had an early-season defeat against reigning 1A champion Liberty, and setbacks against the two teams who contested the county championship and are each expected to make deep runs in their respective state tournaments. Severna Park reached the 4A final last year and returned just about everyone, and South River is favored to win it all in 3A.

Broadneck, meanwhile, has worked on consistency to build toward the playoffs. They have solid players and the makings of a formidable unit. They dispatched Chesapeake 5-1 the next time out, to go with similarly comfortable wins over Arundel and Southern.

“We’ve had moments, and we are having more moments, but we are looking for that consistent 60 minutes of play,” said Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty. “Against Severna Park, I thought both teams played well; they just played better than us in overtime and that was the difference.”

After the Severna Park game, the Bruins’ path forward was all but sealed: out of county championship game contention and effectively locked into second place in the 4A East II region standings.

They bounced back to beat Chesapeake (5-1), Annapolis (6-1) and North County (9-0) to close the regular season. The Bruins host Annapolis again on October 29 in the region semifinals, with — barring the unlikeliest of upsets — defending 4A champion Leonardtown waiting to welcome the winner the following week in the region final.

The development in the last two weeks will chart the team’s course ahead of what they hope is a reclaiming of the region championship and a return to the state tournament.

“You always want to learn from a loss, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Hanratty said. “Learn all that you can from it, and don’t waste a loss.”