B-CC High School Athletics: Field Hockey Results-Varsity

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For the first time in her 16-year tenure as Bethesda-Chevy Chase's field hockey coach, Amy Wood saw a senior class finish its career without winning at least one state championship.

Despite that, Wood — who has won 10 state crowns during that time — walked away from a 2-0 3A state semifinal loss Nov. 5 to Fallston with a sense of pride and satisfaction normally reserved for those squads lofting trophies high into the air.

Why? This year's squad overcame a brutal start to win its 15th regional championship under Wood's direction. After opening with a 5-1 win against Holton-Arms, the Barons (13-5 final record) dropped a 2-1 decision to Good Counsel before losing a pair of tournament matches to St. Stephen's/St. Agnes (3-0) and eventual Class 4A state champion Severna Park (4-0) to begin the season 1-3.

B-CC's record stood at an uncharacteristic 4-4 following a 2-1 setback to Damascus on Sept. 24, but it finished the season by winning nine of its final 10 matches. The only loss came to Harford County's Fallston (19-1), which went on to capture the 3A state crown for the second-straight year and 11th overall Saturday at Washington College Saturday.

"We weren't very good at the beginning of the year," Wood said. "I think [our finish] is a tribute to the girls. This is my first senior class not to win a state championship in my 16 years, but I'm tickled to death because they became a team and we did make it back to the state tournament. The kids earned it this year. It's one of my most satisfying years."

Keeping the team together in the beginning while flourishing in the end were Clare Becker (16 goals, 20 assists), Catherine Mirsky (7 goals, 16 assists) and Mimmy Wenzel (13 goals), a transfer from Holton-Arms.

"We may not be .500 without [Mirsky]," Wood said. "She instills confidence in her teammates, which is really nice to see."

Fallston, however, was just a little bit better in the state semifinal, punching in a penalty-corner goal in each half to end B-CC's season with a loss for the second-straight year. The Cougars defeated the Barons, 1-0, in double overtime in last year's 3A state final.

"They were good; they were very aggressive," Wood said. "I told my girls they had a little more experience than us and it showed. Both their goals were great. It wasn't like last year when the [winning shot] barely crossed the line. … I told the girls we lost to a really good team tonight."

Before Wednesday's Class 3A state semifinal field hockey match against Fallston, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High coach Amy Wood told her squad the winning team would be the one that converted its penalty-corner opportunities.

Wood, who has won 10 state titles, was right. But unfortunately for her Barons, it was the Cougars who converted on two penalty corner chances, one in each half.

Fallston defeated the Barons 2-0 at Broadneck High in Annapolis, denying B-CC a 20th appearance in the state final and ending their season for the second-straight fall. Fallston defeated B-CC, 1-0, in double overtime in the 3A state final a year ago.

"They were good [and] they were very aggressive," Wood said. "I told my girls they had a little more experience than us, and it showed. Both their goals were great. It wasn't like last year when the [winning shot] barely crossed the line. I think tonight and maybe for the year, they're maybe a little bit better. I told the girls we lost to a really good team tonight. We didn't really beat ourselves. They earned it."

The Barons, who last won a state title in 2004, finished 2008 with a 13-5 record after opening the season with early losses to Good Counsel, St. Stephen's/St. Agnes and Severna Park (18-1), which will play Quince Orchard (12-3) for the 4A state title Saturday.

Fallston and Bethesda-Chevy Chase went into last night's state field hockey semifinal with 23 titles between them, but only Fallston will have a chance to add to its coffers.

Krissy Fusco and Caitlin Dempsey scored on penalty corners as the No.2 Cougars dominated the Barons en route to a 2-0 victory in a Class 3A semifinal at Broadneck.

The Cougars (18-1) go for their 11th state title and their second straight when they meet Atholton at 4p.m. Saturday at Washington College in Chestertown. The Raiders defeated Great Mills, 2-0, in last night's other semifinal.

The victory was the second straight in the state tournament for the Cougars over the Barons (13-5); they won last year's title game, 2-1, in double overtime. ...

After the Cougars went 2-0, the Barons, who returned only two field players from last season, had their best opportunities to score, but they couldn't put anything past Cougars goalkeeper Katie Gerbes (four saves).

"We had some opportunities at 2-0 to bring one back," Barons coach Amy Wood said. "If we could have brought it back with about eight minutes [to go], we could have put some pressure on, but it wasn't meant to be. Their defense played well to keep us from putting on some really serious shots."

Every great champion needs its glue player. The kind of player willing to do the dirty work to ensure the win.

For the top-ranked Fallston High School field hockey team (18-1), Caitlin Dempsey is that player. Dempsey was everywhere Wednesday night, helping the Cougars win a rematch of last year’s state final, 2-0, over Bethesda-Chevy Chase (13-5) in the Class 3A state semifinals at Broadneck High School. ...

“They exposed our youth a little bit,” Bethesda-Chevy Chase coach Amy Wood said. “They’re a very experienced team. They took it to us in the first half.

“My team’s come a long way from the beginning of the season until now. If you’d asked me at the beginning of the year if we would’ve been back here, I wasn’t so sure. You’ve got to take pride in that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.”

... [Atholton] will play Saturday at Washington College in Chestertown against Fallston (18-1), which earned a 2-0 win over Bethesda-Chevy Chase (13-5) in the second game at Broadneck last night.

Fourteen regional titles in 15 years is a lot to live up to. So with regulation time running down on Thursday's 3A West Region field hockey final, top-seeded and host Bethesda-Chevy Chase had all the motivation it needed to break a tied game.

"If you've had it for however many years you've had it, of course you want to keep it," Barons senior Mimmy Wenzel said. "And it's a lot of pressure to not lose it. … Everyone just wanted to put it in."

Wenzel relieved the pressure at the last possible second — in fact, after the last possible second. She rolled in B-CC's game- and region-winning goal after time had expired in the second half, giving the Barons (13-4) a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Damascus.

B-CC kept putting off overtime by winning three consecutive penalty corners without the Hornets (11-4) being able to clear.

With that, B-CC is off to its 15th state semifinal in coach Amy Wood's 16-year tenure, and 17th in the last 19 years. After all that time, Wood still knows which of her players' buttons to press.

"We haven't ever lost on our home field in the playoffs; 15 years, we've had a lot of home games, and the second number is zero," Wood said. "You make it that this year's team is the only team. It will never be the exact team again. … This is the only year you'll have a chance to win a regional title together."

There was an added dimension to the matchup, as well. Damascus was responsible for one of the Barons' defeats this season, with a 2-1 victory in their Sept. 24 matchup.

Aware of the old coaching adage that it's hard to beat a good team twice in the same season, Jodi Hathway prepared Damascus for the second meeting in the simplest possible way: ignoring that there was a first.

"Pretty much we just negated the fact that we had beaten them before, because it would be that much harder to beat them again," Hathaway said. "We knew we could score against them, we knew we could stay in this game. I just was hoping that it would click in for them. In the beginning, they were very tentative."

B-CC controlled the first half, but came away with just one goal, courtesy of Wenzel. Kirsten Evans scored the Hornets' first goal on their first shot of the game, less than 4 minutes into the second half.

Clare Becker quickly put B-CC back in front, and JoEllen Cotton brought Damascus level again.

"I have so much respect for that team and the way they played," Wood said. "They put it on the line. They played with all their heart. … I would have just put my hands up and clapped if they had beaten us twice."

It nearly happened. The game was tied for the final 17 minutes, 35 seconds, and both teams had chances during that stretch. The Barons simply took the last one, ending the careers of nine groundbreaking Damascus seniors.

"We took a team that goes to states regularly to the final seconds, even after the game was already over," Hathaway said. "They had this game if it went into overtime. … This was the year to do it, and this was the first year we came this close. So I feel like they improved, they worked hard, they did everything they had to do to get to this point. And even to go further."

Instead, B-CC progresses to Wednesday's state semifinal against defending 3A champion Fallston, 1-0 winners over the Barons in last year's final.

Wenzel, who transferred from Holton-Arms before this school year, doesn't remember that defeat. And there are only four other seniors on the team who were in high school in 2005, the last time B-CC failed to reach a state final.

As common as regional field hockey titles have become on East-West Highway, this one was hardly a given.

"We weren't a very good team at the beginning of the year," Wood said. "Weren't we something like 1-3, 4-4? And now we've rolled off nine in a row. Now they believe in themselves."

Holton Arms transfer Mimmy Wenzel scores with no time remaining in regulation in region final

Mimmy Wenzel hadn’t played field hockey in more than a year when she started for Bethesda-Chevy Chase about midway through the season.

Now she may be considered the main reason why the Barons are yet again in position to win a state title.

Wenzel clubbed in the game-winning goal with no time left on the clock in regulation, giving Bethesda-Chevy Chase a 3-2 win over Damascus in the 3A West region finals Thursday in Bethesda. The Barons (13-4) will now face the winner of Fallston and Herford Wednesday at Broadneck.

“I just put it in,” Wenzel said. “It was really exciting. I was really happy. Everyone worked really hard on the field.”

It is Wenzel’s 13th goal in nine games since becoming a Barons starter. She transferred from Holton Arms midway through the school year last season and had to sit out the entire year.

“Something ridiculous,” Coach Amy Wood said of her goal total. “And don’t we love it.”

Wenzel scored the game’s first goal a little more than halfway through the first half. But Damascus, who handed the Barons their only loss to a Montgomery County public school this year, tied up the game just a few minutes into the second half.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s Clare Becker gave the Barons the lead again just about 10 minutes later. Damascus once again countered with a goal with about 10 minutes left in regulation. The Hornets scored on their first two shots of the game, Wood said.

“They played one tough game,” Wood said of Damascus. “They could have caved a little bit with all the pressure we gave them the first half but they fought back.”

After dominating the game for most of the night, the last thing the Barons wanted was to have to go to overtime. So when presented with a late corner opportunity, B-CC made sure the ball didn’t escape the circle, thus allowing for multiple chances with no time left on the clock because a game cannot end on a corner.

The corner pass went to the right option, Charlotte Kettler, who crossed the ball along the stroke line, where Wenzel one-timed it into the goal.

“It was really nice to finally put one in,” Wenzel said.

“We won in extreme, exciting fashion,” Wood said, summing up the game. “Beautiful fashion because we won.”

This season hasn’t been all winning for the Barons, however. Bethesda-Chevy Chase started the season 1-3 and then dropped to 4-4 after a regular-season loss to Damascus on Sept. 24. Since then, Bethesda-Chevy Chase has gone on a nine-game winning streak.

“It was probably the turning point in our season,” Wood said. “I told them, ‘We can either stick our head in the sand like we have been or we can actually become a better team.’”

Bethesda-Chevy Chase only had two field players and a goalie returning as starters from last year’s team. But with the addition of Wenzel, the Barons perhaps now have the firepower to win a state championship after falling in double overtime the past two years.

“This is probably one of the most rewarding [region titles] because I’ve seen them grow so much,” Wood said. “Sometimes you just have the best team from the start. This year we did not.”

Bethesda-Chevy Chase senior Mimmy Wenzel scored off a penalty corner with no time left to give the Barons a 3-2 win over visiting Damascus in the 3A West.

Wenzel is in her first season on the team after transferring from Holton-Arms last year.

"It was really exciting," she said. "I got some great passes from Charlotte [Kettler] and Catherine [Mirsky], and I think this proves that we can rally and keep fighting."

B-CC, last year's state runner-up, has won region titles in 15 of the past 16 years and will try to win its first state title since 2004. . . .

Oct. 30, Post: Whitman Advances Its Game in Playoffs

On Sept. 24, Bethesda-Chevy Chase suffered its only loss to a Montgomery County public school when it traveled to Damascus and left with a 2-1 defeat.

Winners of eight straight since that night, the Barons (12-4) get another shot at the Swarmin' Hornets (11-3) when they meet today at Bethesda-Chevy Chase for the 3A West region title.

"Our head wasn't in the right place [against Damascus] and we beat ourselves," Bethesda-Chevy Chase senior Catherine Mirsky said. "We just weren't focused. We just came into the game not serious enough."

The Barons, last season's Maryland 3A runner-up, returned only three starters, leaving them with a lack of experience that contributed to a 1-3 start. But they have won 11 of their last 12 and become a title contender again, in large part because of Mirsky.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Coach Amy Wood said her center-midfielder has made everyone around her better.

"She just directs the field," Wood said. "Her vision is so good. She passes the ball to everyone, and that means she trusts everyone.

Since falling to Damascus, a rare defeat to a county opponent, Bethesda-Chevy Chase coach Amy Wood said her Barons have hoped for a rematch. Their wish will be granted Thursday.

That's because top-seeded B-CC (12-4) scored a 4-0 victory against fourth-seeded Urbana while second-seeded Damascus (11-3) slipped past third-seeded Paint Branch (8-6) by a 2-1 score during 3A West Region semifinal play Tuesday night. The two victors will now meet Thursday for the regional title and a spot in the 3A state playoffs.

"I think we wanted to play them again," said Barons coach Amy Wood, who won 14 regional titles in her first 15 seasons. "We know it's going to be a tough game and we're not overlooking anybody. We have to challenge every single ball. They're very aggressive."

B-CC scored all four of its goals in the first half, including two by Sunny Cobb. Cobb scored both on penalty corners and off assists from Catherine Mirsky and Clare Becker. Mimmy Wenzel added the other two scores on a breakaway and on a penalty corner off a pass from Mirsky.

"We're going to see B-CC again and it's going to be a tough game [but] it should be a good game," added Swarmin' Hornets coach Jodi Hathaway. "We have to play our game. The way we played them the first time. They'll probably come out harder and tougher."

Lindsay Chan and Mimmy Wenzel produced two goals apiece to pace top-seeded Bethesda-Chevy Chase against ninth-seeded Watkins Mill. [Note: B-CC game report below shows Clare Becker with two goals and Lindsay Chan with one.]

The Barons (11-4), who led 3-0 at halftime, will play fourth-seeded Urbana (6-7) Tuesday in a semifinal contest. Urbana defeated fifth-seeded Frederick, 4-1, Thursday.

As soon as the playoffs start, every game takes on a fierce, do-or-die postseason intensity. That's what makes the state's everybody-qualifies format so exciting.

Exciting is exactly how Watkins Mill field hockey coach Michelle Pettit described her team's first-round game Tuesday night. The Wolverines knocked Wheaton out of the 3A West Region tournament, 1-0, with a last-minute goal.

"The win was exciting," Petit said. "This is my first year as a varsity head coach, so this was my first playoff win." ...

Watkins Mill advances to play perennial power Bethesda-Chevy Chase, coming off a first-round bye. Coach Pettit plans to have her Wolverines ready Thursday for the challenge.

"We're going to try and stun them," she said. "We are going to show them that we are a team to be contended with, and that we are better than our record."

Just as in every other season since Amy Wood took the head coaching reigns of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase field hockey program 16 years ago, the Barons are the favorites to capture a regional title, in this case the 3A West. Considering they have won a regional championship in 14 of her first 15 seasons, it's easy to understand why B-CC carries favorite status.

Besides history in the team's corner, the Barons (10-4) boast one of the county's best one-two combinations in senior captains Clare Becker (13 goals, 14 assists) and Catherine Mirsky (8 goals, 7 assists). Senior goalkeeper Claire Veith has seven shutouts. Senior forward Mimmy Wentzel is another solid scoring option, with seven goals.

B-CC, the county's Central Division champion, is also on a roll, having won its final six matches of the regular season and nine of its last 10. Its current win streak includes four straight against winning 4A squads: Walter Johnson (9-3), Whitman (7-5), Churchill (9-3) and Quince Orchard (9-3).

Wood said "solid and consistent play" as well as "taking advantage of opportunities and capitalizing on them" would be the keys for B-CC.

"It is the playoffs and every team must be taken seriously as this point in the season," she said. "It is an even slate."

Her squad opens the playoffs with a first-round bye and will play the winner between eighth-seeded Wheaton (0-11) and ninth-seeded Watkins Mill (2-10) in a quarterfinal contest.

The Barons are anything but a lock to capture the 3A West title. Not with county foes Damascus (9-3) and Paint Branch (7-5) looming large as the region's second and third seeds, respectively.

The Swarmin' Hornets, in fact, are the last team to defeat B-CC. They won a midseason contest 2-1, although Damascus coach Jodi Hathaway believes a similar victory will be difficult, as it's always tough to beat the same team twice in the same season. ...

Quarterfinals (Oct. 23)
No. 9 Watkins Mill or No. 6 Wheaton at No. 1 B-CC, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Frederick at No. 4 Urbana
No. 11 Kennedy or No. 6 Tuscarora at No. 3 Paint Branch, 3:30 p.m.
No. 10 Einstein or No. 7 Sen.Valley at No. 2 Damascus, 3:30 p.m.

Just a few days ago, The Gazette's midseason field hockey report suggested traditional field hockey powers Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Quince Orchard have been surpassed by other programs.

It may already be time to rethink that.

In the past week, the Barons defeated an 8-3 Churchill team and the Cougars knocked off two teams with winning records, Poolesville and Good Counsel. When they met Thursday, the Barons topped the Cougars, 2-1, in double overtime.

The final game of the regular season for both squads began with a light drizzle, but nothing would slow the pace of the game. Both teams went up and down in the first half, but neither side could take an early lead.

Alexandra Jamison scored off a rebound for the Cougars midway through the second half to start the scoring. Then with just minutes to go in the game, captain Clare Becker made a long run down the right side before making a cross-field pass to Kelsey Kiser, who scored the tying goal to send the game into overtime.

The Barons had a few opportunities to score the game-winner in the extra period, but were rebuffed by Cougars goalkeeper Rachel Lipman time and again, hightlighted by a sliding kick save that spoiled one golden opportunity for B-CC.

But Lipman had to face one shot too many in the end, as Becker managed to punch in the game-winner.

"We were not a good team at the beginning of the year," B-CC coach Amy Wood said. "We had only two returning field players. The last four games we played Walter Johnson, a good team, Whitman, a good team, Churchill, a good team, and Quince Orchard, a good team. I'm not sure we would have won those games early on."

Maybe this year's sleepers are two traditional powers. Or maybe they never went away in the first place.

Oct. 10, Gazette.net: Field hockey midseason report: The landscape has changed

The county's field hockey landscape has experienced some changes this season.

While perennial heavyweights Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Quince Orchard have experienced solid seasons yet again, the pair of annual state playoff participants has been caught, and perhaps even surpassed, this regular season, which will come to an end next week.

Although saddled by a youthful roster, the Barons have still compiled an 8-4 mark, with two of their losses coming against St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.) and Severna Park, teams they won't face in the postseason. Katherine Mirsky has led the way. The Cougars have a new coach in Laura Williams, who took over for the highly successful Jenna Ries, but they've still produced a 7-2-1 record. ...

With back-to-back wins against neighborhood rivals Walter Johnson and Whitman, Bethesda-Chevy Chase can once again wear the moniker of Queens of Bethesda field hockey.

After upending the resurgent Wildcats, 1-0, Saturday, the Barons (8-4) used a goal by Rachel Ruda late in the second overtime period to defeat visiting Whitman (5-3) by a 2-1 count Tuesday. The Vikings were coming off an impressive 2-1 win over Quince Orchard Monday.

"It was a big one," said Barons coach Amy Wood of the victory. "It was nice to win that. I'm not sure how many shots we had, but we controlled the game a little bit more. [Whitman] hung in there and played really, really tough defense."

Clare Becker, who scored the match's first goal in the opening half, set up the game-winning score with a cross from right to left, where Ruda tipped the ball in for the team's fourth-straight win following a 2-1 loss to Damascus.

Vikings goalkeeper Hillary Wall was particularly stingy Tuesday night, saving what Wood believes were three likely goals.

"Their goalie was fabulous," she said. "There can't be a better goalie in the county." ...

Oct. 8, DigitalSports.com: B-CC field hockey beats Whitman in 2OT

Bethesda-Chevy Chase's Rachel Ruda scores game-winning goal

Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s Rachel Ruda scored the game-winning goal in a second overtime as the Barons ended Whitman’s two-day field hockey challenge with a 2-1 loss Tuesday night.

While Bethesda-Chevy Chase continued its stellar season, improving to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the central division, the Vikings proved a lot as well.

Looking at the past couple of days, the Vikings proved they are in serious running for a state playoff appearance this season. The Vikings were coming off a 2-1 win over 2006 state champion and 2007 state runner-up Quince Orchard on Monday night.

“I’m really encouraged,” Whitman Coach Mary Pat Veihmeyer said. “I hope they realize what they did in the past two days. They were two tremendously emotional games in a row. I think we proved that we can go into any game and say, ‘We can do this.’”

The Vikings (5-3) started off slow against the Barons on Tuesday. Bethesda-Chevy Chase scored with about two minutes left in the first half after controlling the action for much of the half.

Whitman was much stronger in the second half and got a goal by Celeste Pilate to tie the score. Goalie Hillary Walls kept the Vikings in the game, making 13 saves total.

After the first overtime, in which each team had one golden scoring chance just miss, Bethesda-Chevy Chase poured on the pressure in the second overtime until Ruda put in the game-winning goal.

Sept. 18, Post: THE POST TOP 10

After Severna Park's convincing performance at the Nyborg Tournament -- a 3-0 win over Fallston and a 4-0 win over Bethesda-Chevy Chase -- the Falcons jumped ahead of St. Stephen's/St. Agnes, which tied Roland Park at the same tournament.

One would be hard-pressed to find more intense competitors than Bethesda-Chevy Chase's Amy Wood and Good Counsel's Kelly Stodter, a pair of championship-winning field hockey coaches.

In fact, it's sometimes more fun to watch them on the sidelines than the match on the field. Each cajoles players and officials alike with flying arms and legs, constructive (and loud) instruction, hair-curling, baby-scaring scowls and even some well-timed leaps in the air.

Such gyrations and continuous instruction are done not to draw attention to themselves, but to push their teams to be the absolute best they can be. For that reason, the pair decided to play rugged non-league schedules every season, including matches against each other two years in a row.

Good Counsel's reason for playing Bethesda-Chevy Chase is obvious, as the Barons have been the standard-bearer for county field hockey teams. They have captured 13 state titles, as Stodter continues to transform her budding program into an area powerhouse.

The Falcons, in fact, have proven to be quick studies. After falling, 5-2, to the Class 3A state runner-up Barons a year ago, Good Counsel worked a 2-1 decision last Thursday in Bethesda behind goals from sisters Shannon and Kelly Lechner. The former, who posted 18 goals a year ago, pushed across the game-winning goal in the second half on a penalty stroke that was awarded when a clear goal was stopped by a defender's body.

"We love to be challenged," Stodter said. "These kids love to be challenged and they rise up to a challenge. That was a very gifted team skill-wise. This will get us ready."

For years, Wood has played private-school teams to better prepare her squad for lengthy postseason runs, as most of B-CC's county games usually result in lopsided victories that don't do much aside from padding the team's individual stats.

The Barons annually play area juggernaut St. Stephen's/St. Agnes (Va.) and Severna Park at the Sally Nyborg tournament at Roland Park — the Barons fell 4-0 to Severna Park Saturday — and in years past, squared off with Baltimore-area powerhouse Bryn Mawr.

Wood's Barons looked poised to pull off another victory against Good Counsel, taking a 1-0 lead less than 5 minutes into the game on a penalty corner goal by senior Catherine Mirsky off a pass from Clare Becker. Mirsky settled the ball quickly and blasted a low shot into the left corner of goal.

The Barons fired off only one more shot the rest of the half, but kept control of the ball for the most part and produced seven penalty corners to their opponents' one. The score was deadlocked at one at halftime, as the Falcons struck on their only shot of the half. Kelly Lechner provided that score, directing in a pass from Julianne Grothe with just less than 10 minutes left in the half.

"We were out-aggressed and out-athleted today," Barons coach Amy Wood said. "We hit the ball around the field, but we had our opportunities and we never took any shots in the circle. They didn't go with the mentality to get every ball and Good Counsel did that. Had they done that, I think, especially in the first half, it would have been a different story but we didn't. …

"I have 15 juniors and three sophomores. We're going to take these lumps as young as we are. They have to have big-game mentality and that's why we play these games."

In a match between two of the most-decorated teams in the Washington, D.C.-area, Good Counsel uses a stroke and a strategy to defeat B-CC

Good Counsel Coach Kelly Stodter may have unlocked the key to defeating a Bethesda-Chevy Chase team that has appeared in 19 of the past 21 Maryland state championship games at varying classifications: socks and a basketball court.

The Falcons practice indoors an hour every day on hardwood courts with socks over their sticks to improve stick-handling and passing on the fast surface. And their speed and athleticism played significant roles in the 2-1 road win over the legendary Barons on Thursday. ...

But at half time, the score was tied at 1 and it was Bethesda-Chevy Chase who had the visible possession advantage, having taken six penalty corners to Good Counsel’s one.

The Falcons, however, capitalized when it counted. They drew a penalty stroke with 9 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the second half.

Shannon Leckner, the team's leading scorer, is one of many Falcons who have voluntarily stayed after practice to work on penalty strokes. She stepped to the spot and calmly flipped the ball past the outstretched glove of senior goalkeeper Claire Veith for the game-winning goal. ...

This game is the first of a grueling stretch for Good Counsel (1-0) and Bethesda-Chevy Chase. Both the Falcons and Barons play a non-conference schedule to open the season that looks more like a state playoff bracket.

Good Counsel will play Seton tomorrow before taking on rival Holy Cross on Tuesday and St. Mary’s Ryken on Thursday.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase (1-1), which has only lost 29 times in Amy Wood's 15-plus seasons as head coach, faces both halves of last year's Maryland 4A final – Severna Park and Quince Orchard – in a double-header on Saturday.

"We were out-athleted today," said Wood (222-29-5 all-time), who only returns three starters from last year's Maryland 3A state runner-up. "We were out of gas and out-athleted. ... We had opportunities and we never took any shots in the circle. They had far fewer opportunities inside the 25, but they probably got more shots off than us.

"[Our girls] have to decide if they want it. They didn't go in with the mentality to get every ball and Good Counsel did. ... They have to decide because we're playing two pretty good teams on Saturday and they have to have the upstairs mentality."

One of the season's first great matchups takes place today when No. 9 Good Counsel visits No. 5 Bethesda-Chevy Chase.

This is the second year of a home-and-home series between the Falcons, who were 2007 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions, and the Barons, last season's Maryland 3A runners-up. B-CC won last year's game, 5-2.

"This is the first challenge," B-CC Coach Amy Wood said. "We're very young, with 5 seniors, 15 juniors and 3 sophomores. We have to develop and ask them to grow really fast and this will be an early test of that. Win or lose, this can only help, because this will be what the games are like at the end of the season when it's a big-game atmosphere."

The Barons opened the season Friday with a 5-1 win over Holton-Arms. Today's game will be the season opener for Good Counsel.

"I'm not going to say that I'm overly confident at all, but we're not afraid to be challenged," Falcons Coach Kelly Stodter said. "I think we're very quick and skilled and I'm not sure how it's going to fly, but I think if we play hard and never quit, it will be a very good game."

Bethesda-Chevy Chase reached the state finals for the 19th time last year but lost some key players from that team. The Barons graduated April Cahill and Kelly Merkl. Annie Cohen returns for B-CC after notching 17 goals and seven assists last season.

Aug. 26, Gazette: Field hockey: Same top programs, new faces

Success was experienced aplenty, as usual, in this part of the county in 2007. Bethesda-Chevy Chase reached the state final for the 19th time, Quince Orchard won its eighth regional title in 10 years and Wootton captured its first regional crown in 14 years.

Not to mention, Whitman rode a stingy defense to the regional finals and Holy Cross made its annual trip to the WCAC final, while Churchill and Stone Ridge each reached double figures in victories.

Now the question is: Can all of those teams continue last year's success? Many suffered heavy graduation losses, including All-Gazette first-team performers April Cahill and Kelly Merkl of B-CC and Helena Nannes of Whitman. ...

Like Good Counsel, both B-CC and Whitman return explosive offensive players in Annie Cohen and Maya Herm, respectively. Cohen helped the Barons notch 84 goals in 19 games by producing 17 goals and seven assists from her forward spot. Herm paced the Vikings (61 goals in 15 games) by pushing across 14 goals and assisting on seven others.

Re-joining Cohen and legendary B-CC coach Amy Wood (222-29-13 career record) are forward-midfielder Clare Becker and midfielder-defender Catherine Mirsky, a first-team All-Gazette selection who produced eight goals and five assists and anchored a defense that produced 10 shutouts in 2007. Sunny Cobb, Paige Donnelly and Charlotte Kettler are the team's top newcomers.

Head coach: Amy Wood, 16th year
Last year’s record: 15-4
Last state title: 2004 (13th)
Players to watch: Annie Cohen (Sr., M), Catherine Mirsky (Sr., M/D), Clare Becker (Sr., F/M)

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which lost last season's Maryland 3A title game in overtime, might be even deeper this year with a talented junior class that includes Sunny Cobb and Paige Donnelly, the latter a state indoor track champion.

That’s perhaps the best way to sum up Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s quest for a 14th state field hockey championship, as the Barons battled Fallston to a draw for 76-plus minutes during Tuesday night’s 3A state championship match at Broadneck High School.

But Fallston pulled out a 1-0 win and its 10th state crown on a goal by sophomore attacker Caitlin Dempsey with 3 minutes, 14 seconds left in the second overtime period.

Dempsey was able to slap in a rebounded shot by JoEllen Sumego during a penalty corner, slipping the shot through traffic and past Barons goalkeeper Claire Vieth before collapsing to the ground in sheer joy.

On the other side, tears flowed from a vaunted B-CC senior class that guided the Barons (15-4 record) to back-to-back state final appearances, including April Cahill and Samantha Locke, who were forced to watch the unsettling events unfold from the sideline having already played in the first overtime. A different set of six field players are required for each overtime period.

‘‘It’s the worst feeling ever,” Cahill said. ‘‘You know, you just want to be in there. You just want to get the touch on the ball, score the goal. You want to get the win. It’s the worst feeling to watch teammates play because all you want to do is play, especially senior year knowing that I just finished my last minutes playing for B-CC.”

Locke added: ‘‘It was pretty hard but I know the people who were in were giving it everything they had. I believed in them. It was just unlucky. It’s tough to get two second places but we had a great season.”

Dempsey’s late-game heroics came after a thrilling defensive struggle that saw both teams take turns controlling the ball deep in their opponent’s end, but to no avail. Junior Catherine Mirsky spearheaded B-CC’s defensive effort that limited the Cougars to a just two shots in regulation.

The Barons held more control of the ball in the first overtime period but neither team was able to fire off a shot. The Cougars, however, wrested control early in the second overtime and worked three penalty corners, the last one resulting in the game-winning goal.

‘‘I think we saw two evenly matched teams,” Barons coach Amy Wood said. ‘‘I told the kids it was going to come down to a corner one way or the other. It was going to be the difference in the game and it was. It definitely stinks to lose.”

B-CC, which has won 20 regional titles in 21 years and reached the state final 19 times since 1987, last won a state title in 2004, beating current 4A state champion Severna Park, 2-1, in double overtime on a goal by Markie Mulholland.

Severna Park (15-3), which topped Quince Orchard, 2-0, to win the 4A state title Monday night, scored a 3-1 win over the Barons in last year’s 3A state final.

After nearly 97 minutes of intense, dramatic, nerve-fraying field hockey, Bethesda-Chevy Chase's season came to a sudden and painful end last night.

Only a few minutes more and the Barons would have been 3A state co-champions. Instead, Fallston took sole possession of that designation with a 1-0 double-overtime win at Broadneck.

Cougars sophomore Caitlin Dempsey scored the game-winner. Moments later, she became the bottom of a giant orange pile. As the Cougars celebrated their 10th state title, 25 Barons transformed into one support group.

A few players in tears hugged on the field. Some whispered consoling words to one another as they gathered for the postgame handshake. All of them remained clustered together during the trophy presentation, even though teams usually stand in a single-file line.

Most players made an effort to console junior goalie Claire Vieth, who blamed herself for allowing the goal after a penalty corner. By any reasonable rationale, Barons players and coaches said, Vieth's guilt was preposterous.

She had never played goal before in her life until six weeks ago, when she stepped in after an injury. Then she helped keep a potent Fallston team scoreless for nearly 97 minutes. Senior midfielder April Cahill told a teary-eyed Vieth, just moments after the goal, "We couldn't have done this without you."

"It definitely helped," Vieth said, "because I knew I had messed up and they all came over and it made me feel so much better."

Barons Coach Amy Wood called Vieth the story of the team's season. She also went on to praise nearly everyone else who produced one of the best-played games of the postseason.

Had they played the full 100 minutes without a goal, there would not have been penalty strokes. In the state final, both teams are declared state champions.

Asked how she would have felt about that result, Cahill said: "It wouldn't have been a loss. Some people say they'd rather lose than tie, but. . . ."

Quite obviously, the Barons would have preferred the bigger trophy. In the end, they'll settle for each other.

"We are the closest team around and I'm really proud for all of us," said senior defender Sophie Mondale. "We've always been good at making each other feel better and we always will be because that's the kind of team we have."

Fallston 1, Bethesda-CC 0
Fogged Up: A steady fog lingered over the field for almost the entire game, making it hard to see from one goal to the other. It finally lifted during the second overtime.
Close Again: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, which has won 13 state titles, is a runner-up for the second straight year. They lost to Severna Park in the 3A final last season.

Nov. 7, 2007, Gazette: Another year, another championship

OK, the Barons aren't a lock to capture a regional field hockey title every year but they're not too far off.

With last Thursday's 4-0 3A West Region final win over second-seeded Damascus (11-4), top-seeded B-CC secured tis 20th regional crown in the past 21 years with the lone hiccup coming in 2005.

"It's never easy winning a championship," Barons coach Amy Wood said. "The girls wanted to make it to the state tournament. They did and they're excited."

B-CC (14-3) will now play St. Mary's County's Great Mills (13-2), which captured the 3A South Region with a 1-0 win over LaPlata. ...

"We have had a lot of difficult games this year so you hope you're battle-tested," said Wood, whose team last won a state title in 2004 and has garnered a total of 13 state titles since 1988. "We continue to spread the wealth around and the kids don't feel the pressure [when that happens]."

In reaching the state tournament, the Barons outscored their three regional opponents by a combined score of 10-0, including a 1-0 double-overtime victory against Frederick's Urbana in the semifinals last week.

Things proved much easier in the final as B-CC used goals from senior forward Kelly Merkl (10 goals, 13 assists), junior defender Catherine Mirsky (8 goals), junior forward Annie Cohen (15 goals, 7 assists) and senior midfielder Mallette Asmuth to record its second lopsided shutout of the Swarmin' Hornets this year. It scored a 6-0 win over Damascus earlier this season.

"I thought we played pretty well as opposed to the game before," Wood said. "We took 50 shots [against Urbana]. You should be able to score more than one goal. We had a little talk. We talked about playing as a team and they did. We had four really, really nice goals and they were four different kinds of goals."

Merkl posted the first score on a give-and-go with senior midfielder Samantha Locke 13 minutes into the match. Asmuth pushed the lead to 2-0 off a rebound with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Ten minutes into the second half, Cohen made the score 3-0 on a breakaway. Mirsky then added the final goal with about 10 minutes left in the match, knocking a shot of the Damascus goalkeeper and into the goal.

For the match, the Barons produced 15 penalty corners to Damascus's none and had 28 shots. B-CC goalkeeper Claire Vieth did not record a save.

"The kids are really pleased with how they played," Wood said. "They tried to shut down [Barons midfielder] April [Cahill] man-to-man and that got the girls mad. I asked, 'So what did you do?' They said, 'I played harder.'"

The field hockey team over the past seventeen years has become the pride of Bethesda-Chevy Chase athletics. Before the national records, nine consecutive state championships, and endless division titles, the field hockey team was developing into a powerhouse.

The field hockey program started in 1937 by two B-CC teachers, Mrs. Crocher and Mrs. Teihune, as a developmental program to introduce the girls to the sport.

Two weeks ago, Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s Amy Wood joined the ranks of some exclusive company by capturing the 200th win over her illustrious coaching career.

In honor of that high-water mark, Wood was given a plaque by her current team following a recent 4-1 home win over archrival Whitman. She said a few words to the crowd and then attended a party with current and former players and parents and other friends.

‘‘I told my family, `I don’t know what it means, other than I’m old,’” Wood said. ‘‘It’s a huge milestone for me to hit. I knew it was coming this year. It’s amazing.” ...

Wood, who joked years back that she was going to be run out of town for only reaching the state semifinals in her first season in 1993, guided B-CC to nine straight state championships spanning from 1994-2002 to set a national high-school record for consecutive state championships in any sport.

She has won a total of 10 state championships in all, including upending longtime nemesis Severna Park, winners of 15 state titles, in the 2004 3A state final to hand the Falcons their lone loss of that season.

During her impressive run, Wood has compiled a 202-23-13 career record heading into today’s contest with Springbrook, averaging 14.7 wins per year. ...

But what has made Wood so successful over the years is her mix of incredible intensity on the field and her unbridled passion for both her players and the game itself. ...

That competitive spirit is easily seen on the sidelines at game time as Wood transforms into a fiery ball of energy from the opening to the final whistle, screaming instructions, gritting her teeth, becoming a virtual contortionist with her bodily gesticulations, displaying anger at an official’s call or disbelief in a player’s missed assignment. ...

To the unknowing observer, Wood probably looks too demanding, especially when her face turns a few shades brighter than her red hair. But because of her passion, Wood’s players would defend their coach to the bitter end.

It is never easy to see a season end, but it seems particularly cruel to end two seasons in a row against the same team, on the same field, under the same dreary weather conditions. Just as they did in the state finals a year ago, the B-CC Barons varsity field hockey team played Fallston High School on the Broadneck H.S. artificial turf field in Annapolis, under damp, misty conditions, this time for the 3A Maryland State semifinals.

Fallston started aggressively and forced B-CC to defend a penalty corner less than a minute into the game. The Barons defense, led by senior goalie Claire Vieth and speedy senior captain Julia Pernick at center back, was busy but able to turn away the defending state champs on this early corner, and B-CC countered on offense to force a penalty corner of its own just a minute later.

Fallston’s quick, talented forwards tested all of the Barons’ backs, including juniors Sunny Cobb, Meredith Storm and Ruth Andrews. But on a penalty corner just seven minutes into the game, Fallston was able to rifle a shot on the ground into the right corner of the cage, putting them up 1-0.

The goal seemed to wake up the Barons, who responded with their own offensive pressure on the Fallston team. Senior captains Catherine Mirsky and Clare Becker teamed up in the middle and pushed the ball forward to wingers Mimmy Wenzel and Paige Donnelly, producing some good opportunities but no goals. Juniors Rachel Ruda and Charlotte Kettler fought it out on the midfield wings against tough Fallston opponents.

Fallston kept up the pressure right up until halftime, and just missed scoring on a penalty corner shortly before the whistle.

The Barons started the second half a player down, but killed the penalty without much trouble. With the team back at full strength, Claire Vieth made two nice saves, but Fallston was able to put a second goal on the scoreboard seven minutes into the half. At that point the hill was much steeper to climb, but the Barons kept climbing. Junior Meredith Storm injured her leg, and was replaced by fellow junior Lara Bes. Sophomore Jenn Dewey came in to try to spark some offense, but the Barons were never able to produce a goal for all their effort.

In the end, another great season came to an end when the referee blew the final whistle, with the 2008 Barons proudly laying claim to division and regional championships.

For the B-CC Barons field hockey squad, Tuesday’s regional semifinal matchup with Urbana High School was all about the penalty corners, and the Barons had theirs working to perfection.

Less than one minute and a half into the game, the Barons jumped to an early lead when junior defender Sunny Cobb rocketed a shot past the goalkeeper, scoring her first goal of the year off an assist from senior midfielder Catherine Mirsky.

Just three minutes later, the Barons were on the scoreboard again, this time when senior forward Mimmy Wenzel took a long clear and dribbled into the goal area and scored on her own.

The visiting coach called a timeout to calm her players after falling behind by two goals in the first five minutes, but she couldn’t rally the team to counter with a goal.

As senior forward Clare Becker lined up to insert another penalty corner, the Barons produced a carbon copy of the first goal: Mirsky to Cobb for the third goal of the afternoon. Kelsey Kiser started at right wing for Paige Donnelly, who suffered a facial injury in practice, and Wenzel played the left side. Charlotte Kettler and Rachel Ruda flanked Mirsky in the midfield, and goalie Claire Vieth and her back four – Julia Pernick, Sunny Cobb, Meredith Storm and Ruth Andrews – produced yet another shutout.

Jenn Dewey and Rachel Keeling came in to bolster the offensive line, and as the first half ran out, the Barons were awarded yet another penalty corner. This time Mimmy Wenzel fired one in, again off an assist from Mirsky – her third – to make it 4-0 as the half came to an end.

In the second half, Josie Lopes and Lydia Marks provided some spark off the bench, along with Lindsay Chan, Rebecca Natoli, Laura Bes, and Rachel Natoli. Defense prevailed, and the Barons’ 4-0 lead stood throughout the second half.

Next up: the 3A regional finals on Thursday.

Goals: Cobb, 2; Wenzel, 2.
Assists: Mirsky 3

The Urbana Hawks brought their gaudy #4 seed in the region to B-CC on a cold, windy afternoon, but apparently left their A-game back home, up 270, because they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of a playoff-ready, B-CC Barons team that was all fired up and ready for bear. After Mimmy Wentzel created a penalty corner out of pure hustle in the first minute, Clare Becker inserted to Catherine Mirsky, who took one step to her right and cleverly dropped the ball to her left for a Sunny Cobb blast straight into the goal, allowing Cobb to score what turned out to be the winning goal one minute and ten seconds into the game. Wentzel scored a couple of minutes later, making the score 2-0. Cobb followed after another penalty corner to make it 3-0 before the crowd had fully sat down. Wentzel followed up by physically dominating a crowd of defenders to make it 4-0 before the end of the first half. Game over.

Urbana is a perfectly good team that traveled an hour on a cold, rainy day and ran into a juggernaut. Their attempts to spring fast running wings were consistently smothered by the Barons defense, such that they managed not a single shot on goal. Coach Amy Wood has this team ready for the playoffs; crisp passing, hustle, consistent intensity, heads-up quality of play, it was all there. Ruth Andrews was simply awesome, maybe her best game ever. Meredith Storm and Julia Pernick were aweseome. Mimmy Wentzel played her best game ever as a Baron – she was a force all over the field and showed she can be a leader on this team with her consistent good play. Sunny Cobb and Catherine Mirsky are always awesome, and were extra awesome today. Charlotte Kettler, Clare Becker, Rachel Keeling and Kelsey Kiser worked inside and outside and around their counterparts and generated a ton of pressure all day. Jenn Dewey and Josie Lopes and Lydia Marks and Rebecca Natoli came in early and played well, auguring well for next season. The Barons are on a roll, but there are some very good teams left out there, waiting, and they will need to raise their game even so to reach their potential – State Champs.

After an emotional “Senior Night” celebration honoring the Lady Barons’ five elder statesmen, the B-CC field hockey team took the field with Montgomery County’s Central Division championship on the line.

The visiting Churchill Bulldogs went on the attack in the early going, challenging senior Julia Pernick and the rest of the defensive line. An early penalty corner appeared to cause some trouble for the Barons, but senior goalkeeper Claire Vieth made a good kick save to put an end to the threat.

B-CC began to mount some offense: senior midfielder Catherine Mirsky made some threatening runs with the ball, slashing through the Churchill defense, but no goal. Senior forward Mimmy Wenzel attacked up the left wing, causing the visitors some trouble, along with junior Paige Donnelly on the right. Finally, at ten minutes into the game, Mirsky teamed up with fellow senior captain Clare Becker for the first goal of the night. Becker inserted a corner, Mirsky controlled it and sent it back toward the goal. Becker took the pass and knocked it past the goalkeeper into the cage.

Two and a half minutes later, Becker added a second goal after an assist from Paige Donnelly during a scramble in front of the Churchill goal. Suddenly the Barons had a two-goal lead on one of the strongest teams in the county! Now, all that was left to do was to protect a lead for more than three quarters of the game against a team that had only lost one game all season.

Churchill pushed back aggressively to try to make up the difference. Junior defenders Sunny Cobb, Meredith Storm and Ruth Andrews had to hustle to chase down the Bulldog attacks. With two minutes left in the half, Churchill knocked a good shot just wide, and the Barons breathed a sigh of relief as the halftime whistle blew.

In the second half, the tension continued, as the Bulldogs continued to attack, and were turned away. Midfielders Charlotte Kettler and Rachel Ruda helped to turn the Churchill team back, time and again. Kelsey Kiser and Jenn Dewey bolstered the attack, but the scoreboard would never change. In the end, B-CC held on to a two-goal lead, and the Central Division championship.

On a lovely Tuesday evening, the Lady Barons invited the undefeated Churchill Bulldogs to come over to play and help celebrate Senior Night at B-CC. Based on comparative scores and a preseason drubbing of the Barons at Pokemoke, the Bulldogs had every reason to believe that this might be their year. The Lady Barons mistreated their guests, however, and the Bulldogs were sadly disappointed.

The first five minutes of the games were all Churchill. The Bulldogs jumped into the Barons' passing lanes, dominated possession with crisp back passes and cross-field hits, and kept the ball in the Barons' half of the field. They did not get any good scoring chances, but the Barons looked nervous, mis-hitting balls and missing routine plays. But to their credit the Barons adjusted, moving better into space, creating open passing lanes, and making longer passes so the ball outran the Bulldog defenders. The seniors – Catherine Mirsky, Clare Becker, Julia Pernick, and Mimmy Wentzel – decided this was going to be their night and took over the game.

Turning the tide, the Barons shed their Senior Night nerves when captain Julia Pernick started a transition moving the ball out to Sunny Cobb, who hit the ball down the side to Charlotte Kettler. Kettler moved it into the middle to Catherine Mirsky who forwarded the ball down the side to Mimmy Wentzel (who was fabulous all night). Wentzel carried it into the circle and was swarmed by Bulldog defenders. Paige Donnelly dove into the crowd of defenders and got a shot close in, but the Bulldogs' goaltender smothered the angle, and the Barons' first foray into the offensive zone was thwarted. The Bulldogs did not clear the ball from their zone, however, and a short time later Mirsky blasted a shot from the outside, Donnelly kept it alive, and with 19:50 left in the first half Clare Becker overpowered the nearest defenders to make the score 1-0 Barons.

Two minutes later, taking advantage of an emotional letdown by the Bulldogs, Charlotte Kettler blocked a clearing pass, carried the ball up the sideline and passed to Donnelly, who carried the ball in through two defenders. Mimmy Wentzel prevented the clear and shot and, again, Clare Becker was on the spot to put the ball in. The Barons took a commanding 2-0 lead with 17:20 remaining in the half.

But the Bulldogs were not done. Showing the pride (and ability) of an undefeated squad (a team that beat Damascus 4-0 at Damascus), the Bulldogs tried to even the score and mounted a threat of their own. They got the ball inside the circle and earned several penalty corners, but goaltender Claire Vieth, in what may have been her best game ever, was right where she needed to be. She was nimble and smart and got some timely help from Julia Pernick and Rachel Ruda and Ruth Anderson, but not until she had made some very difficult saves. On one penalty corner, the ball ended up outside the circle but came back in, and Vieth was left alone with two Bulldog players, who determinedly whacked at the ball with nothing but a goaltender between the ball and the net. Vieth stood her ground, blocked every shot, and patiently waited for the cavalry to arrive in the form of Meredith Storm and Julia Pernick. Churchill received several other penalty corners, and each time managed a shot from close in. But Vieth was there each time, with her friends, and let nothing in.

With Churchill pressing to score, the game opened up and became a wild, see-saw affair. Having smothered some very serious scoring threats, the Barons mounted a quick counterattack when Mirsky took the ball from the top of the circle and blasted it down the field into open space, Wentzel made a great move down the middle of the field, into the circle, for the shot, and Donnelly flew into the crowd of defenders, causing the goaltender to lose her balance and fall down. In the swarm of offenders and defenders that followed in front of the open net, the Bulldog defenders managed to force the ball just wide. In the ensuing side out, Mirsky passed to Kettler, who had a fine shot blocked, and the Bulldogs managed a counterattack of their own. Hitting the ball 60 yards down field the Bulldogs had a 2 on 2 and a whole lot of open field – but the Barons were well represented by Julia Pernick and Sunny Cobb, who broke up the play somewhat routinely before it got within 30 yards of the Barons' goal.

Inside 2 minutes, Churchill managed a 4-on-2 fast-break, using their skill and their numbers to get two more point-blank shots. But Claire Vieth showed why she wears 00 on her back, and she blocked them all. The Barons came right back with a fast break of their own. Paige Donnelly and Charlotte Kettler got inside the circle with the ball and shot right on goal, but the Bulldog defenders managed to keep it out.

Overall, the game was another step forward for the Barons. They managed to make a very good Churchill team look ordinary, adjusted their passing lanes and played well together, and fed off the leadership of the senior class when the game started a little slow for them – especially Catherine Mirsky, who just gets tougher as the game gets tougher. They won their division and a Number 1 seed in the region, which should be very helpful in the post-season, and have obviously improved a great deal since the beginning of the season. Amy's Apple went to Clare Becker for her 2 goals and consistent good play.

Having defeated Holton Arms (5-0) and Walter Johnson (1-0), on Tuesday the Lady Barons took on the visiting Walt Whitman Vikings. Whitman was fresh off a surprising victory against perennial powerhouse Quince Orchard and came into the game with deservedly high expectations. In one of the most exciting games in recent memory, both teams played very well, but the Barons prevailed in the second overtime, 2-1.

The first half saw the Barons dominating possession, controlling the pace of the game and playing with an intense efficiency that was very effective. The Vikings were tough inside the circle, however, limiting the Barons to outside shots, and on occasion mounted effective break-outs carrying into the Barons' defensive end. These forays rarely ended in a shot, as defenders Julia Pernick, Ruth Anderson, and Meredith Storm consistently combined to keep the ball to the outside. On the one or two occasions the Barons got in close to the Vikings’ goal, the Whitman goaltender was extremely acrobatic in turning aside a flurry of shots. On a penalty corner midway through the half, however, Clare Becker inserted to Catherine Mirsky, who made a great crossing pass to Sunny Cobb for the one-timer. Cobb's shot got through to the goaltender, where Becker was right on the spot and out-muscled the local defenders for the score. The half ended 1-0 in favor of the Barons, who were clearly carrying the play to the Vikings all over the field.

The Barons' continued to dominate possession in the second-half, maintaining their high level of intensity and efficiency, and limiting the Vikings' offense to sporadic outside shots. But the Vikings converted a break-out, using their team speed to outnumber the Barons inside the circle, and tied the game 1-1. The Barons kept the pressure on to the end, but the score remained 1-1 as the clock ran out.

In the first overtime, the outcome became more difficult to predict as the play went back and forth. For the most part the Barons controlled possession, and the Vikings relied on blasts down the field, looking for a fast break. The Barons had several in-close opportunities and just missed scoring, as they were repeatedly thwarted by the Vikings’ defenders. On a penalty corner Catherine Mirsky, with her back to the goal, made a 180-degree turn on the ball and blasted a perfect shot toward the left post that bounced 2 feet up when it reached the post. The game was clearly going to end right there, except the Vikings' goaltender (who was in the middle of the goal when the shot was taken) impossibly kicked out her pad and steered the ball wide. The amazed crowd was stunned and could do nothing but marvel at what was truly an unbelievable athletic accomplishment. It would have been easy for the Barons to let down after that, but they did not. The Barons kept going hard, and the Vikings matched them.

In the second overtime, the Barons adopted the Vikings' strategy and broke out of their circle with a blast downfield. Paige Donnelly and Clare Becker streaked after the ball, gained possession, and before the Vikings could recover, combined to work it in front to a perfectly positioned Rachel Ruda, who finally got the ball past the Vikings' netminder for the winning score.

In all, after easy wins against Wheaton (15-0), Blair (6-0) and a close game with WJ, the victory was a step forward for the team. Whitman clearly expected to win this game and was very disappointed. The Barons were the better team, but both teams played well consistently throughout. Games like this make “Queen of Bethesda” a title worth holding.

There were bright spots, of course. While the Hornets used their team speed to double the ball all over the field and pile up inside their own defensive circle, the Barons were the better team, controlling possession for most of the game and giving the Hornets very few scoring opportunities. In the face of a swarming Hornet team, Sunny Cobb stepped up her game and dominated the middle of the field. Catherine Mirsky also dominated her space, and created virtually all of the Barons’ offense. But, as a team, the Barons played this one as if an average effort would be enough; unfortunately, they were mistaken.

In the opening part of the game, the Hornets came out as if this were a playoff game and their season was at stake -- the pace of play was very high and the athleticism of the Hornet team was amply displayed. Having survived the initial onslaught, however, the Barons gradually turned the tide, overcoming the inconsistent surface and keeping the ball inside the Damascus 40-yard line for extended periods. Rachel Ruda has a close-in shot go just wide; Ruth Andrews drove a long ball into the circle for another chance. But the Hornets seemed well adapted to the field, staying very low, and the Barons lost some of the one-on-one battles for the ball that they normally would win. With about 7 minutes left in the first half, Damascus had only 1 shot when Mirsky blasted a ball downfield, springing Kelsey Kiser on a breakaway. Kelsey took it in, but the goalie came out and smothered the shot; no one was there for the rebound, and the scoring threat evaporated. Various other drives into the Hornets' circle led to scrums in front or missed opportunities; the Barons were outworked inside and did not score. At half the game was tied, 0-0.

Mirsky sprung Kiser again in the second half, this time the shot led to a melee in front, but the Barons were unable to put the ball in the net. Damascus had very few opportunities to score, but when they got the ball into the Barons’ end, they brought everyone into the offensive end. Clare Vieth made a fine save on a bad-angle shot, and every time the ball came into the Barons’ circle, there was a crowd of Hornets after it. The second half was mostly played between the circles, with the Barons getting the better part of the play but being unable to score. As time went on, both sides played physically – the Hornets appeared to escalate the physical play, but the Barons were pleased to reciprocate.

Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the first half. For the Barons, Clare Becker, Paige Donnelly, Rachel Ruda, Catherine Mirsky, and Charlotte Kettler, in various combinations, worked the ball down the outside and into the circle. The Barons’ offensive pressure resulted in five penalty corners in the first half – Clare Becker to Mirsky to Kettler back to Mirsky for the shot resulted in several very good chances, but the Falcons' goalie and able defenders kept the ball out of the goal with some fine play. At the 16-minute mark, Sunny Cobb drove the ball well into the circle. and in the ensuing free-for-all in front of the Falcons’ net the goalie was forced to cover the ball, resulting in a Barons’ penalty stroke. Mirsky took a great shot, but the Falcon goaltender made a fine kick save, and the score remained tied at zero. The momentum temporarily switched to the Falcons, who a minute later scored on a penalty corner of their own – only to have the goal disallowed because it was way too high.

At the start of the second half, the play went back and forth – Claire Vieth was forced to make several excellent saves in traffic, and Meredith Storm, Julia Pernick, Sunny Cobb, and Ruth Andrews made some clutch plays in close to the Barons’ net. But the Barons would not let up, and the Falcons started to wear down. In the face of the Barons' pressure the Falcons resorted to a counterpunch game – blasting the ball downfield and speeding after it. This approach was ineffective because the Barons’ defenders, especially Julia Pernick and Meredith Storm, consistently attacked the ball, breaking up fast breaks and turning the ball back over to the Barons’ offense with steady outlet passes.

As the second half went on, the tide built steadily in favor of the Barons, who kept their intensity and continued to execute at a high level, while the Falcons gradually faded. The Barons worked harder, won the one-on-one confrontations, and took the initiative. At the 14-minute mark, the Barons broke through on a penalty corner – Becker to Mirsky, to Kettler, back to Mirsky, who blasted a shot in for the score. Four minutes later, the Falcons having overloaded the offensive end to press to tie the game, Mirsky broke out of the circle and blasted a ball 50 yards downfield to a streaking Paige Donnelly, who turned on the jets and caught up to the ball just before the Falcons’ goalie could kick it out; Donnelly did a terrific job going wide around the goaltender, bringing the ball under control, ignoring the charging herd of Falcon defenders, and steering it into the net from a bad angle for the game-ending score. The Barons threatened to repeat the same play again minutes later, but the game ended with Kelsey Kiser streaking downfield in the open, with Donnelly matching her on the opposite wing.

On a hot, sunny Friday afternoon at Rockville, where the field is patchy and bumpy and in even worse condition than B-CC's field in the dark days of yesteryear, the Lady Barons started slow (having to adjust after playing on turf the last couple of games) before defeating the Rams 5-0. The Barons played without their leading scorer, Captain Clare Becker, and early on seemed content to dominate the possession of the ball. But the field made it hard to finish – the ball would bounce crazily and unexpectedly and was very difficult to handle close to the goal, where the Rams crowded in front of their goalie. At the 16-minute mark of the first half, Catherine Mirsky scored on a penalty corner, converting a nice insert from Charlotte Kettler and blasting a shot that defected high off a defender's stick into the upper corner of the net. Thus the Barons took a 1-0 lead.

Whether it was the randomness caused by the field conditions interfering with the normal crisp Barons passing, or the heat of the day, with the lead the Barons settled into a lackluster somnolency. Coach Amy Wood found that her suggestions from the sideline were not being heeded with sufficient alacrity, so she called time out and gently suggested to the team that perhaps they could do better, a suggestion the team took to heart because immediately thereafter the Barons dominated possession and started buzzing around the Rams' net. Several scoring opportunities immediately presented themselves -- but were thwarted by bad bounces at inopportune moments. After a rare Rockville foray into the Barons' end, culminating in a penalty corner, the Barons swept down the field on a fast break, and Rachel Ruda took it in from about 25 yards out and scored to give the Barons a 2-0 lead with 5 and a half minutes left in the half. Four minutes later Sunny Cobb drilled a long shot from outside the circle that was deflected into the goal by Jenn Dewey, and the Barons took a 3-0 lead into halftime.

In the second half, it was more of the same; the Barons dominated possession but could not quite finish because it was hard to complete three passes in a row without the field wreaking havoc. But in a fabulous flash of brilliance, Mimmy Wentzel broke down the sideline and on the dead run passed it in to Josie Lopes, who made a terrific one-time pass to Rachel Ruda in front, Ruda's shot was deflected wide by the goalie but kept alive by Jenn Dewey, who passed it back to Ruda for the score. Wow.

Jenn Dewey scored her second goal of the day on a fine cross from Charlotte Kettler, to complete the scoring at 5-0. For her hustle and effectiveness, Jenn Dewey was awarded AMY's APPLE, as the player of the game. I personally would give honorable mention to Rachel Ruda and Josie Lopes, who get noticeably better with every game. The Barons were clearly the better team; the Rams wilted under the constant pressure and the Barons' depth and hustle. The field conditions forced the Barons to adjust their game, which they accomplished with some timely encouragement from Coach Woods.

On a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon at Richard Montgomery High's brand new astroturf stadium, the Lady Barons overwhelmed the Rockets 4-0.

The Barons are improving each week: the team stalwarts are becoming more stalwart, but more importantly to the Barons' post-season plans is the dramatic step forward from the younger players – who as we speak are stepping up and filling in the gaps.

After testing themselves against the best teams in Washington last weekend, St. Agnes and Severna Park, the Barons showed their vast recent improvement against the Rockets by controlling the play from the outset, using Amy Wood's patented triangular passing scheme to work the ball up and down the field. On offense, Paige Donnelly, Clare Becker, Catherine Mirsky (who played hurt until the game was in hand), Rachel Ruda, and Mimmy Wentzel consistently obtained possession and worked the ball up the field, inside and outside; at midfield, Mirsky, Sunny Cobb, Charlotte Kettler, Ruth Andrews, and Meredith Storm used speed and finesse to control the ball and the tempo of the game. On defense Julia Pernick, Storm, and Cobb made sure goaltender Claire Vieth had little or nothing to do all day, and consistently blunted the Rockets' attempts to break into the Barons' circle.

Coach Amy Wood's teams generally start the year slowly, because while hustle and conditioning is important, team play is more important -- every player is an important link in the chain, and while on the field every single Baron player is called upon to move intelligently without the ball and make good decisions with the ball. Against Richard Montgomery Kettler was all over the field, and moved so well with the ball and without that she earned the player of the game award – "Amy's Apple." While we have come to expect that Becker, Donnelly, and Cobb would be dominant at their respective positions, it is very encouraging that Storm, Pernick and Ruda are breaking through, and are becoming very strong links in the chain. And more players are on the verge of breaking through -- Josie Lopes and Jenn Dewey also got a lot of time, and showed they too can play well at the varsity level.

As the Lady Barons' juggernaut continues to build up steam, the Rockets had little chance. Seven minutes into the game, Paige Donnelly took the ball down the sideline, made the turn in the corner and crossed a pass back to a trailing Clare Becker, who converted to give the Barons a 1-0 lead. The Barons kept the pressure on – whenever the Rockets would clear the ball, Storm or Cobb or Kettler would turn it back around and move it up to Ruda or Donnelly on the wing, or Mirsky in the middle. On a side out, Mirsky just missed converting Kettler's long drive from the sideline that went all the way through to the far post. Mirsky created the second goal by carrying the ball into the circle, drawing the defense, and dropping it off to Becker, who scored easily, making it 2-0.

The Barons let up a bit in the latter part of the first half, giving up an offensive flurry to the Rockets, leading to a corner. The Rockets executed well, but shot wide. Immediately thereafter, Donnelly fired a ball up the middle to a sprinting Becker, who split the defenders, drew the goaltender and dropped a pass across the goal mouth to Donnelly. Donnelly was surrounded and could not find the handle, so the Rockets dodged one there. Becker and Donnelly made some great passes inside the circle, including a fine cross to Wentzel, whose shot went inches wide.

With 9:35 left in the half, Kettler carried it through traffic into the circle, dropping off to Becker, who took it low to the end line and then crossed it to back to Donnelly (pretty much replaying the first goal, but reversing the roles). Donnelly put it in for a 3-0 lead. The Barons kept the pressure on and received a penalty corner – Becker made a fine insert, and Cobb took a shot that deflected off a defender's stick and went high and far, well into the parking lot. With less than a minute to play, Ruth Andrews recovered the ball well outside the circle and fed a beautiful pass to Becker about 10 yards out; Becker turned and shot in one motion and drilled it into the back of the net (for her third goal of the game).

In the second half, the Barons lost their edge a bit, and while they continued to dominate possession, other than some isolated good shots, which the Rockets goaltender did well to handle, the Rockets held their own a little better. Coach Wood took the opportunity to get some playing time for the Barons' future stars, including Lindsay Chan, Lydia Marks, and Rachel Natoli, all of whom played a lot and played well.

The hustling young Barons played aggressively and fought well; but the Saints managed an early goal and held it through the first half. On defense, Sunny Cobb, Julia Pernick, Meredith Storm and Ruth Andrews were heavily pressured and did well to break up the swift Saints attack. Junior goalie Lauren Serpan stepped in well in her first regular-season start.

Center midfielder Catherine Mirsky with fellow mids Charlotte Kettler and Rachel Ruda led the transition game, helping to move the ball out of the defense and on to the attack. Paige Donnelly, Rachel Keeling and Jenn Dewey formed the attack. But the Saints showed why they are the top-ranked team, and were able to turn back everything the Barons threw at them, and added two goals to the scoreboard in the second half.

The B-CC field hockey squad faced off against 4A state champion Severna Park in the second game of the Roland Park tournament. The young Barons hustled hard, but learned in this game just how much growing they need to do this season. The aggressive, talented, Severna Park team tallied four goals against the Barons, as the ninety degree temperature seemed to take its toll on the Barons.

Varsity Field Hockey Results