Barons field hockey comes up just short in state final

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.