Broadneck field hockey’s 2023 season ended with a loss to Crofton in the Class 4A semifinals. It was a defeat the Bruins had to sit on for 10 months before they got back on the field. But the wait for revenge didn’t take long.
The new season began as the old one ended, with Broadneck staring down Crofton.
Despite spotting the Cardinals the first goal, Broadneck rallied for a 2-1 victory behind a pair of fourth-quarter goals. Senior Faith Everett fired the game-winning score with less than three minutes remaining.
“I am really proud of the way that we don’t give up and the way that we play till literally the last whistle,” Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty said. “We have a lot of grit and we are building a lot of trust amongst ourselves and that’s what you need in teams.”
After Crofton broke the stalemate in the third quarter, Broadneck swiftly responded in the fourth. Forward Raleigh Kerst drilled a penalty corner goal to tie the game at 1.
Overtime was rapidly approaching, but Everett wouldn’t let it get that far. She secured the game-winning goal with less than three minutes remaining. The midfielder darted down the field and slung a fast-break goal that bounced off the board.
With no time remaining, Crofton was awarded a pair of penalty corners. However, the Bruins’ defense stiffened and halted both attempts to win the game.
“We started down, but we are very consistent on just focusing on our play no matter what,” Kerst said. “We knew we weren’t done with even a minute left. It was so close, we had to give that 100%.”
Everett, a University of Maryland commit, finished with 16 goals and nine assists in 2023, while Kerst recorded a school-record 21 goals last season.
“We’re a very athletic group, which is just always helpful with speed and field awareness,” Everett said. “We also all get along really well so the team dynamic is just super strong.”
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The Bruins controlled most of the first half offensively. Broadneck had multiple scoring opportunities in the first period including a trio of penalty corners, but couldn’t get a shot past the Cardinals’ defense and goalie Ryleigh Osborne. The same held true in the second quarter. The Bruins controlled the ball for much of the frame, but again couldn’t slide a score past Osborne.
The scoreless streak was broken in the third by Crofton senior Sophia Galarza. The forward flicked a shot over the head of Broadneck’s goalkeeper, which dropped into the back of the goal.
The Bruins defeated Crofton, 2-1, a year ago in the regular season before earning another one-goal victory in the Anne Arundel County championship last October. The Cardinals avenged the pair of losses with a 2-0 victory in the state semifinals — winning the championship one game later.
“I don’t think anything went wrong besides the fact that the ball didn’t go our way that game,” Hanratty said. “We gave them everything we had, we made as many adjustments as we could, and just the score didn’t go our way that day.”
The two sides’ familiarity extends past their respective high school teams. Many of the girls play on the same club teams in the winter and spring, including some with commitments to the same college.
The Bruins returned 12 seniors this year in a group Hanratty noted had a lot of depth with leadership. Six of Broadneck’s seniors are currently committed to play collegiately. Hanratty noted she observes her seniors pull freshmen aside during practice to explain the concepts and drills to the less-experienced players.
“They’re remembering that they were once the freshman, sophomore, maybe even the junior who’s the first time on varsity. They remember what it feels like,” Hanratty said. “They’re great leaders because they walk the walk and talk the talk. They know how to help.”