Cougars can't clear final hurdle

TIMONIUM - Ashley and Autumn Reid could only do so much.

Consistent clearing by Autumn Reid and Ashley's second-half scores, the last with 41 seconds left, were upstaged by Hannah Saunders' poke in Dulaney's 3-1 victory over Chesapeake yesterday in the Class 4A North Region field hockey final.

Saunders made the Lions' defensive lapse a memory when she answered Ashley Reid's tying goal on a right-side shove with 10 seconds left.

"I wasn't expecting anything," Saunders said. "I was just giving all I could."

Saunders scored in the first half and assisted Hannah Whiteley's go-ahead goal with 15:56 left before driving Dulaney to its eighth region title.

Dulaney (13-4) began a quick, offensive press immediately following Ashley Reid's second strike and put six players inside. Sarah George drove a deep ball to the middle, and Casey Glinowiecki sent a hard grounder to the right post. George kept the ball from going out of play and flicked it into an empty right side.

"She's been one of our strong players all year, and today was her best game," Lions coach Kendra Whaley said. "She was just on. She wanted it, and she was there. She knew what had to be done."

Those 31 seconds wasted Ashley Reid's hope-invoking equalizer and ended Chesapeake's run at its first state semifinal since 2001.

"I told Mackenzie (Johnson), 'This is all defense. Let it go into the 7v7,'" Ashley Reid said. "But I guess we weren't together in that last play."

The Lions opened by bombarding Autumn Reid. They drove five shots in the first 2:34 before Saunders hit the cage.

Autumn Reid stopped Glinowiecki's give-and-go in the second minute, and Johnson made a stick save on Abbey Sprinkel's six-yard shot before Saunders deflected Liz Keeney's hit to the right post.

Playing on the adjoining outfields of two softball diamonds, Dulaney made use of its home field and held the Cougars (10-7) without a shot during the first 37 minutes. The Cougars found their stride in the second half, where they outshot Dulaney, 7-4.

"Our first half was hideous," Chesapeake coach Melissa Page said. "I think we could play a better 30 minutes right now after playing 60 than those first 30."

Ashley Reid made it 1-1 when she beat Olivia Cawley on a stick-side penalty stroke with 21:58 left. She drove a ball to the left side three minutes later for Emilie Howley, who couldn't get her stick on it.

The Lions took advantage of Autumn Reid's aggressive play during the 45th minute when Sydney Mock Myers lured her out of the cage with a cross to Saunders. With the left side exposed, Saunders flipped a pass to Whiteley for a 2-1 lead.

The Cougars maintained possession throughout much of the last 10 minutes, but struggled to find ways past Dulaney's back line.

Torie Kennelly blocked Kelsey O'Conner's run down the right side with 7:25 left, and Karen Smith lowered her stick to backhand Ashley Reid's shot out of the circle. Alexandra Handzo stripped the ball from Howley with 2:36 to play to put the Lions in a comfortable position.

Until Ashley Reid got mad, that is. Erin Tenneson's inside play bounced off Cawley's right leg, and Ashley Reid unloaded the tying shot with 41 seconds remaining.

"All my anger and frustration just went with that hit," she said. "I was so happy it went in. It was crazy."

"It was a tough loss because I know we could have had this," Page said. "Had it been on a different field, without a doubt it would have been a different outcome. Without a doubt."

Chesapeake (10-7) 0 2 - 2

Dulaney (13-4) 1 2 - 3

GOALS: CH - As. Reid 2; D - Saunders 2, Whitely. ASSISTS: D - Saunders, Keeney. SAVES: CH - Au. Reid 11; D - Cawley 3. SHOTS: CH - 7; D - 19. CORNERS: CH - 3; D - 8.