Bruins Flip Script, Beat Falcons For Boys Soccer County Title

Early in the second half of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools boys soccer county championship game, Broadneck junior forward Wilson Banwell sensed the moment. He flicked the ball into the penalty area, where it struck a Severna Park defender on the arm, and the referee pointed to the spot.

Not the Bruins’ normal penalty taker, Banwell took the ball and smashed it low into the right corner of the goal. It rippled the net and Broadneck had the lead on Severna Park for the first time in their two meetings this season. Half an hour remained in the game, but the goal felt decisive, if not poetic.

Broadneck would hold the lead from there, winning 2-1 to claim the program’s first county championship since 2021 and avenging the Bruins’ only loss so far in 2025.

That setback came by the same score in overtime when Severna Park scored a penalty kick to end the game, celebrating on Broadneck’s home field.

“We wanted revenge against them,” Banwell said. “They got the penalty (in September) and went to the corner and celebrated in front of our fans. We took that personally.”

The county championship was a frantic, testy game that had two bizarre goals in addition to Banwell’s conversion from the penalty spot. Severna Park opened the scoring on a Stephen Bacho rolling far-post shot that defender Brady Miller tried to clear but could only divert it into the net. The Bruins equalized shortly thereafter when a Falcon clearance smashed off of Broadneck forward Braeden Kelly and into the goal from about 25 yards out.

After the Bruins took the lead, they leaned on their calling card – a defensive back line that has stymied opponents all season long. The Falcons had a couple of half-chances but nothing that severely threatened Broadneck keeper Joe Brenner.

“At the beginning of the game, everyone was nervous. It’s just about being able to use those nerves to your advantage instead of letting it overtake you,” Miller said. “In the first half, I let up an own goal but I didn’t let that bring me down. In the second half, any run they had that came through, our back line was there to just clean it up so they couldn’t get through.”

That same defense cleaned up against Chesapeake in a 5-1 win, where Wyatt Shaw was charged with tailing Cougars star forward Byron Klohr all over the field for 80 minutes. Klohr had one half-chance early on but was otherwise kept quiet.

Having been in playoff mode already just before the county championship, courtesy of a similarly tense 2-1 win over Crofton, the Bruins parlayed their experience into a comparatively comfortable 3-0 win over Bowie in the region semifinals.

Kelly scored from a Banwell throw, and Cooper Gaver iced the game late with a counterattack goal, but it was sophomore midfielder Tate Quinton, the smallest player on the field, who opened the scoring on a looping header from another Banwell throw.

“I usually sit in front of their (defensive midfielder), and I noticed I had a similar-height guy on me, so I tried to flick it on with my head and then I saw it float to the back post when it got in,” Quinton said. “I was surprised a little bit because I don’t usually win a lot of headers in the box.”

From there it was down to Brenner and the back line, which cleaned up most of the Bowie chances. For those that they didn’t, Brenner rose to the occasion, including a diving low save on a free kick and a jaw-dropping flying save on a shot that was labeled for the top-left corner.

“Our back line stepped up when we needed and everyone kept their head, which allowed me to do my job. I’m proud of everyone,” Brenner said. “Instincts, training – you’ve just got to get to the ball. I knew we couldn’t let them back in the game or there’d be the potential for danger. Just had to jump up there and be Superman once, I guess.”

Having advanced to the region final, Broadneck will return to Leonardtown for the third straight season. Last year in the region semifinals, they won 1-0, and two years ago, it was a 2-1 defeat in the region final.

“We need to keep our level and keep our heads,” Quinton said. “We need to make sure that we’re ready.”