Shootouts Play Big Role in Soccer Finals

By: Keith Mills

Mario Scilipoti scored 39 goals with 24 assists in his stellar career at Loyola College, and he was on the field as an official last Saturday at UMBC when Perry Hall played Bowie for the Class 4A boys state soccer championship. The Bulldogs of Prince George's County won the game, 2-1, ending the Gators' season for the second year in a row with a loss in the state finals.

The game was one of eight boys and girls state finals played last weekend played at UMBC, four decided by penalty kicks.

In Ed DeVincent's final game as head coach at Liberty, the Lions and J.M. Bennett played 100 minutes of scoreless soccer before Bennett of Salisbury won the shootout, 5-3.

In the 30 years since the boys state championships have been played, teams have shared the crown 14 times. The last time was years ago when Thomas Johnson and Walter Johnson played to a scoreless tie in Class 4A and Sparrows Point and Pocomoke played to a 1-1 tie in Class 1A. Six girls state championships have been shared since 1989, most recently in 2001 when Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Centennial played to a scoreless tie in Class 2A and Loch Raven and Smithsburg did the same in Class 1A.

But after the 2006 season, the rule was changed to adopt penalty kicks to determine a state champion, and this weekend four teams went home a loser despite playing dead even for 80 minutes of regulation and two, 10-minute overtimes.

Liberty controlled much of the game, including the two overtimes, but could not score. And when the last of Bennett's penalty kicks went in, the Lions players collapsed in shock at midfield. The loss spoiled the final game for DeVincent, who is stepping down as the head soccer coach to concentrate on his job as Liberty's athletic director.

It was the second boys game decided by penalty kicks as Fallston, which entered their Class 3A state final against Tuscarora of Frederick County looking for its second state title, lost a shootout, 4-2.

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Fallston's girls lost to Bethesda-Chevy Chase, 2-0, as the Cougars failed to finish an unbeaten season. Coach Alyson Cammann's club took a 17-0 record into the Class 3A state final, but the Barons of Montgomery County scored two first half goals to win the crown.

River Hill's girls won their seventh state championship when the Hawks won a penalty kick shootout over Eastern Tech in a classic game for the Class 2A crown. Amber Womack scored three goals for Eastern, but again the outcome was decided on penalty kicks. After the two extra sessions, the game went to the shootout with River Hill winning the title, 4-2, as coach Brian Song's Hawks won their third strong state crown.

The Sparrows Point-Glenelg Class 1A state title game also went to a shootout after the two teams played to a scoreless tie. Freshman goalkeeper Brooke Carey stopped two Sparrows Point penalty kicks as the Gladiators also celebrated their third straight state title.

Posted November 18, 2008