Chesapeake edges Queen Anne's

Here we go again.

No. 5 Chesapeake is one game away from advancing to the field hockey state tournament, but to get there it has to beat No. 1 Severna Park.

Isn't that always the way?

Yesterday, the second-seeded Cougars (11-2) showed why they again belong on the threshold, holding third-seeded Queen Anne's to three shots on goal in a 1-0 victory in the Class 4A East Region semifinals.

Junior midfielder Erin Piechowiak scored 15 minutes into the first half, putting a loose ball through the legs of Queen Anne's junior keeper Rose Smithmyer.

Smithmyer had made a nice kick save, but lost her footing as the ball squirted in front of her. She stayed on the ground for a few seconds while a scramble ensued, and as she rose, Piechowiak poked in her first goal of the season.

"Everyone was crowded in there and one of their defenders hit the ball out and I flicked it right in," she said. "I thought the ref was going to call [the play dead] at first, but then it came out."

Said coach Jerry Raab: "That's what the center-midfielder's supposed to do, press in and try to contain the ball. She did her job today."

Chesapeake's defense then clamped down on the Lions (5-7-1), who were without their two leading scorers because of injuries. The visitors went on the attack for much of the second half, but couldn't get off many clean shots.

Senior center-back Tracy Gott, sophomore left-back Ryane Bellarin and senior midfielder Cammie Owens played especially well for the Cougars, who gave ample protection to keepers Courtney Miller (two saves) and Holly Colajezzi (one). That became more important when Jena Sullivan was given a red card with 2:55 remaining, leaving Chesapeake short-handed.

"I didn't know anything about Queen Anne's. I didn't even know what their record was," said Raab, whose team lost to the Lions two years ago in the region semifinals. "They did a good job of blocking us out all over the field, and we didn't do a good job of passing."

Next comes Severna Park, which won the first meeting between the two teams, 3-1, on Oct. 6. In last year's region final, the Falcons took a 1-0 victory en route to their second consecutive state championship. The game is scheduled for tomorrow at Severna Park.

Raab never has defeated the Falcons in her 18 seasons as coach. "We welcome the chance to play them again," she said. "We always want to show them what we've learned and accomplished since we saw them last. It should be a good game. It could go either way."

Said Piechowiak: "I'm really excited about Severna Park. We really think we'll beat them in the playoffs. They beat us in the regular season, and now it's our time to beat them. After 18 years, Ms. Raab deserves this one."