Crofton wins 3A field hockey title in its second season as a program

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Kylie Corcoran glared at the Stevenson University scoreboard during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Maryland 3A field hockey state championship. Crofton found itself tied with River Hill, with its high-powered offense having been mostly stymied by the Howard County champion’s defense.

Corcoran and her teammates felt that after last year’s loss to eventual 3A champion Arundel, a title was in reach for the program in its second year. And it was Corcoran who brought the Cardinals glory — hammering home a shot into the left corner of the net with four minutes left in regulation to secure a 2-1 win and the first championship in program history.

In loaded Anne Arundel County, Crofton field hockey is ready to emerge

“You can tell when Kylie gets this fire in her eyes, and she had it at the end there,” Crofton Coach Amy Skrickus said.

Corcoran, a junior midfielder whose game-winner was her team-best 21st goal of the season, said the Cardinals (16-2) began increasing the intensity during practices this year. Still, practice can’t always prepare you for these late-game scenarios.

“Honestly, it was very stressful,” Corcoran said. “You go through games like those all the time. In your mind, you’re just saying you need to get the ball in the back of the net. And that’s what I did.”

Crofton, which scored four-plus goals in 10 games this season, met another strong offense in River Hill (16-3), which had outscored its opponents 20-2 in the postseason entering Saturday. Nearly six minutes into the contest, River Hill sophomore attacker Maya Chan fired a shot past Cardinals goalkeeper Ryleigh Osborne.

Crofton quickly answered. Later in the first quarter, sophomore midfielder Karryn Dean fed a pass to Mary-Cate Parks. The sophomore forward shot the ball into the right side of the cage — knotting the match at one.

Osborne had a lot of action in front of the net, facing 14 River Hill penalty corners. Like Corcoran, she felt the intensity of a game of this magnitude but didn’t let it faze her.

“Being a goalie is a lot of pressure. But it’s how you deal with that pressure,” Osborne said. “As a goalkeeper, the pressure is a gift. We need to learn to grow from the pressure and that we live for it.”

For Hawks Coach Shelly Chamness, her 23rd year at the helm ended in heartbreak for the second season in a row. River Hill had been on a 14-game winning streak, but Chamness knew the Hawks were in trouble just before Corcoran took her shot.

“We hit it right to No. 8,” Chamness said, “which we were trying to avoid.”

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