[Baltimore Sun] No. 5 Manchester Valley girls lacrosse tops No. 11 Liberty, 10-9, on late goal from freshman Taylor Fique
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Manchester Valley girls lacrosse freshman Taylor Fique had her “welcome to the big leagues” moment Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal with six seconds left to give the No. 5 Mavericks a 10-9 victory over No. 11 Liberty in the 4 Causes 4 Champions title game.
Fique, who had two goals and two assists, was fouled 5 yards behind the 8-meter mark and veered right before netting the shot in the top corner.
“I was just trying to get past the defenders and get in there and try to score,” Fique said. “I tried to go straight, but then I had to spin a little bit, but then I got fouled so it worked out.”
Manchester Valley coach Shelly Brezicki was optimistic before the freshman took the shot.
“I was very confident,” she said. “She’s a freshman in terms of grade and school, but she’s not in terms of ability and IQ on the field.”
It was Fique’s first game-winner on varsity, but she has done it before in club ball.
“It is fun, I love this game,” she said. “As a freshman, there is no pressure really. You just have to go out and do your best.”
The tournament at Troy Park in Howard County featured four games with each team playing for a cause. Host Liberty (1A) was playing for Zaching for Cancer; Manchester Valley (2A) and Towson (3A) were playing for Morgan’s Message; and Broadneck (4A) was playing for Morgan’s Message and One Love.
“Man Valley is one of the best public schools in the state if not the best, so we knew what we were up against in this tournament and it was a game that we expected. It was a lot of fun and great competition,” Liberty coach Tom Brendel said. “The game is really more about something bigger then lacrosse. We just had Zach’s sister here for Zaching for Cancer talking to the girls, so hopefully they walk away from here realizing lacrosse is fun but there is something bigger that we are playing for.”
The championship game featured several runs with Manchester Valley jumping out to 4-1 lead in the first quarter highlighted by three goals from Emma Penczek and one by Haylee Bittinger.
Liberty’s Annika Wray celebrates scoring a game-tying goal against Manchester Valley in the final of the 4 Causes 4 Champions Tournament at Troy Park in Elkridge on Saturday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Liberty’s Annika Wray scored the first of her team-high four goals with 2:31 left to put the Lions on the scoreboard. But after Natalie Burmeister assisted Penczek with 1:03 left for the Mavericks, the Vikings scored five unanswered goals and led 6-4 at halftime.
Wray (three goals) and Kortney Goff had two goals each and Emily Spampinato scored with 16 seconds during the rally.
Liberty’s defense, which includes Sydney Bolger, Cora Broske, Caitlyn Marsicano, Kate Darmino and Alyssa Golombeck, held the Mavericks scoreless in the second quarter.
Liberty’s Mady Smith scored the first goal of the third quarter before Manchester Valley tied the score at 7 on goals by Emelyn Scott, Bittinger and Carolyn Lowe.
Bittinger also won three straight draws to give the Mavericks an advantage in time of possession.
“I thought Haylee Bittinger dominated the draw and I thought our circle did a great job of making sure they knew where the ball was going,” Brezicki said.
The Mavericks took advantage of a player-up opportunity to take an 8-7 lead with 10:49 remaining on a goal by Fique and they added another goal with just under six minutes left when Goff assisted Natalie Burmeister.
Smith rebounded her own shot that was saved by goalie Molly Pulliam to cut the lead in half and Wray’s free-position tally with 2:15 remaining set up Fique’s game-winning score.
The Mavericks improved to 4-0 as they try to defend their Class 2A state championship.
“We lost five starters from our field last year and we are filling that void and I just think we need to build that confidence for our kids to know all seven of our attackers should be able to go to goal,” Brezicki said.
The tight contest was just what her team needed to start the season.
“I think it’s good to have this situation at this point of the season to prepare for the rest of the games,” Brezicki said. “Liberty played a phenomenal game, I think they did everything they wanted to on the field. I think we had moments of greatness and we had moments where we didn’t have the confidence to play our game and so we are still working on that.”
In the first game of the tournament, the Mavericks defeated No. 9 Broadneck, 12-6. Penczek had six goals and Fique added three.
Liberty (2-1) defeated No. 13 Towson, 11-5, in the opener, but Brendel expects his team to respond well in its quest for a fourth straight state championship.
“We believe in ourselves, so we believe we are one of the best teams in the state and we are just going to get back to work on Monday and get a little better,” Brendel said.
Broadneck defeated Towson, 15-9, in the consolation game.
Manchester Valley — 4-0-3-3 — 10
Liberty — 1-5-1-2 — 9
GOALS: MV — Emma Penczek 3, Taylor Fique 2, Haylee Bittinger 2, Natalie Burmeister 1, Carolyn Lowe 1, Emelyn Scott 1; L — Annika Wray 3, Mady Smith 2, Kortney Goff 2, Emily Spampinato 1, Abigail Solarczyk 1. ASSISTS: MV — Fique 2, Bittinger, Burmeister 1; CH — Steele, Hottle 3, S. Kelly. SAVES: — MV — Molly Pulliam 4 ; L — Halley Feaga 5.
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