Fallston's girls lacrosse players believed they could beat No. 3 Mount Hebron in Tuesday's Class 3A-2A state final, but the Cougars never imagined the game would turn out the way it did.
The No. 14 Cougars took a four-goal lead in less than five minutes and were ahead by 10 in less than 17 minutes en route to a 16-1 victory for their first state crown at UMBC Stadium.
"We never thought ... it was going to be this much of a difference," said Fallston's Roxy Raab, who had four goals and two assists. "We knew we were going to have to keep them under at least 10, but we never thought we would keep them under 2."
The Vikings (16-4) were aiming for their 16th championship, but the Cougars (17-2) dominated the draws and possession. Mount Hebron struggled with dropped passes, 1-for-18 shooting and passive defense.
"Our defense played 4, 5, 6 meters off, and their defense was right on our backs," Vikings coach Brooke Kuhl-McClelland said. "Every time we caught the ball, there was a defender right on our backs. Every time we tried to make a pass across the crease or to another player, there was another defender there. They collapsed well."
The key defensive performance came from McKenzie Hannahs, who allowed only one point, an assist, to Mount Hebron's Ashley Bruns, who came into the game with 103 goals and 62 assists. Goalie Kelsey Evans had eight saves.
Cougars coach Mike McTeague, who got five goals from Jenn Ward, won his second state title with a team that included several players from his championship basketball team as well as some from the championship field hockey team. Hannahs and midfielder Monica Fisher played in three state finals this school year.
