With its Anne Arundel County title hopes on the line, Severna Park got a dominant effort from senior Brad Dulin and its defense Thursday evening.
Dulin notched all three goals and the sixth-ranked Falcons’ swarming defense held No. 15 South River to only a couple of shots in a 3-1 victory in Edgewater.
“Brad’s a talented player and he worked hard the whole time,” Severna Park coach Ryan Parisi said. “Put himself in good positions [and] made the most of goal-scoring opportunities.”
With just under 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Falcons took control of the game. Severna Park sent a free kick into the box from 40 yards and Dulin came away with the ball. The senior gathered in a crowd and drove a shot just inside the post for a 1-0 advantage.
“It was a huge team effort,” Dulin said. “From the back line all the way to the front, I thought we dominated the game. We played super intense. Best game of the season.”
The game stayed the way into the second half with the Seahawks mustering a brief charge in the final moments of the first half. After a corner with time winding down, the Seahawks corralled the ball and sent a show wide as the whistle sound to end the half.
The moment proved pivotal as Severna Park (8-1, 5-1 Anne Arundel) clamped down on defense in the second half and didn’t yield another shot until the game was already decided.
“It’s an experienced group back there that keeps everything in front of them,” Parisi said of his defensive unit. “They are very organized and they make it very difficult [to score].”
Shortly after halftime, South River (8-1-1, 5-1 Anne Arundel) found themselves not only playing from behind but also down a player. A hard battle for the ball in the Severna Park zone led to a player being ejected from the contest.
Playing a man down proved to be too much to overcome for the Seahawks as Dulin and the Falcons took advantage. Minutes after the ejection, Dulin added his second goal of the contest with a nicely placed shot under the crossbar. The senior then added one more at the 20-minute mark to make the score, 3-0.
South River was able to get on the board with a by junior Jack Brusse with 14:49 left in regulation as the Seahawks made a brief run.
The victory moves Severna Park into second place behind fifth-ranked Broadneck, which handed the Falcons their first loss, 2-1, last week. The defending league champ Falcons control their destiny with about two weeks left in the regular season.
The top two teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will play for the league championship.
“Every game is a big game,” Parisi said. “We are just focused on trying to be the best that we can at the end of the season. South River is a great team and they are going to be tough moving forward.”
South River coach Marlyn Argueta expected Severna Park’s best Thursday evening.
“We had a little trouble getting through their high press,” Argueta said. “They have a good team. Severna Park always brings it. They’re high pressing the whole game. They’re relentless. There’s no easy games in the county. If we win out, we will probably see them again.”
NO. 6 SEVERNA PARK 3, NO. 15 SOUTH RIVER 1
Severna Park 1 2 - 3
South River 0 1 - 1
Goals: Severna Park – Brad Dulin 3. South River – Jack Brusse
Saves: Severna Park - Matt Schisler 1; South River - Jay Jenkins 1
