County Championship Berth Within Reach For Bruins Girls Lacrosse

When the ball rippled into Broadneck’s goal to give Severna Park a triple-overtime victory on a rainy, cold April 11 evening, the Bruins girls lacrosse team could have taken any number of responses.

Instead of getting frustrated, they learned from it, and they put together four straight impressive wins to put themselves on the cusp of a return to the county championship and a potential rematch with those Falcons.

After rolling past Northern 15-3, the Bruins coasted over Huntingtown 9-4 and topped Southern 14-5. Then, on April 25, they cruised to a comfortable 14-3 win over Crofton on senior night, on the strength of five goals from senior Sienna Miller.

“Since the Severna Park game, we’ve been working hard trying to put those things together so that we can play as well as we know we can,” Miller said. “It’s just making the most of all the games left. How hard can we push for these last few weeks, because we only have so many games left?”

The answer to how many games, they hope, is eight. But for one day, the seniors took the focus, playing the full first and fourth quarters. It was an opportunity for a group that has played together for years to get one more extended run together before the playoffs arrive.

That means standard standouts like Miller and fellow senior attacker Cayman Holmes, as well as defender Katelyn Kearns, hold down their roles, but other players who are better known for other sports or accomplishments were able to shine as well.

“I feel like I rely on my teammates a lot, and they help me in ways on the field. I try to do what I can to get a ground ball and help the team get into more of an attacking mindset,” said senior midfielder Faith Everett, who like Kearns and teammate Raleigh Kerst is headed to college to play field hockey. “It’s bittersweet, because we all love playing together and we have a tight-knit group of seniors. We don’t get to be on the field all at the same time very much, so that was great to get to enjoy that.”

It took until the third quarter before Broadneck really stepped on the gas against Crofton, partly because of the lack of on-field chemistry, partly because of emotions on the day, and partly because of the way the game unfolded. But once they sorted the issues out, the game got out of hand quickly.

“It’s more of a mindset than a strategic thing. They have a lot of tools in their tool belt, and they’re learning to be a little more patient and a little more connected,” said Broadneck coach Katy Kelley. “Don’t chase instant gratification but wait for the better things to come. You want creativity within a framework, and sometimes you have too much framework, and others you have instant gratification. They’re getting there.”

At 9-3 but with only one county loss, the Bruins are in prime position to tangle once again with Severna Park in the May 5 county championship game. But to get there, they’ll have to finish the job against Arundel on April 29 and Old Mill on May 2.

“You’ve got to look right in front of you, continue to take steps forward and get the first quarter in line with the third quarter, playing faster,” Kelley said. “The girls do a great job of staying present and making it about what you are doing, and then the rest plays out however it does.”