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The Glenelg High girls soccer team will attempt to win its third straight state title next week after the Gladiators beat Mardela 6-0 in the Class 1A State Semifinal at Broadneck High in Annapolis on Friday.
The Gladiators (9-7-1) will take on Sparrows Point of Baltimore County in next week's championship game at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Using a relentless attack in the first half, Glenelg out-shot the Warriors from the lower Eastern Shore 19-0, but it took them a while to actually take a lead.
Rachel McCarriher first cracked open the scoring with 27 minutes and 30 seconds left in the first half, using a blast of a shot that ricocheted off Mardela defender Alaina Wells.
About nine minutes later, Katie Chase scored off an assist from Ellie Axenfield. And with 3:36 left to play in the half, Catherine Cottrell sent a cross over to McCarriher for a 3-0 halftime lead.
"We've been practicing finishing lately," Chase said. "So when we have the perfect opportunity, we're trying and trying to take our best shot."
Mardela goalie Kalie Sprankle had seven saves in the first half, including a penalty kick.
Cottrell scored the first goal of the second half, collecting a rebound at the top of the penalty box and sending it in just under the crossbar. Chase scored her second goal of the game with 18:05 left to play.
The Gladiators slowed down the attack in the second half, taking only seven shots on goal. Their last goal of the game came from the second unit, with Elizabeth Ebeling sending an assist to Emily Budman.
On defense, goalie Brooke Carey worked the first three quarters of the gam. Mary Kate Warner relieved her and closed out the match. They combined for a shut-out, but recorded no saves against Mardela, which had only one shot, taken in the last 30 seconds of play.
Senior sweeper Meaghan Guyader was critical in stopping the Warriors before they were able to get shots, and she admitted she was only a little disappointed that her team couldn't get the shots-on-goal shutout.
"We played as much as we could," Guyader said. "Sometimes we were playing down to the level of the other team in the playoffs, so I'm glad that we kept it intense for most of the game."
Glenelg is gunning for its third state championship, after winning the Class 2A crown in 2006 and the 1A title in 2007.
They also are fairly loaded for a 2009 run, as the Gladiators will lose only two seniors – Guyader and back-up goalie Warner.