Timing can be everything.

Playing Park School for the second time in less than a week — this time on a wet field Tuesday in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference quarterfinals — Glenelg Country found itself unable to gain early control of the game. That is, until Allie Pickens picked the ball off a Park stick less than 30 seconds before halftime.

Pickens quickly wove through several Park players in taking the ball into the circle. Claire McAuliffe then sent it to Abby Franklin, who scored 21 seconds before intermission.

“Everybody was so excited when we scored that goal because they knew we could get this game,” Franklin said.

She and McAuliffe (assist) combined again on the game-clincher with 8:21 left in the second half for a 2-0 win.

“That made us feel like we were ready to go to the next round,” Franklin said.

The Dragons next face Maryvale on Thursday at 3:45 p.m. at Maryvale, the higher seed. Maryvale advanced with a 1-0 win over John Carroll on Tuesday.

The quarterfinal victory was the first playoff win for Glenelg Country since 2006 and only the team’s second playoff victory in six seasons.

Glenelg Country coach Jessica McAdams said that playing Park last week — a 3-0 victory — helped her team because the players knew Park’s strengths and what they needed to work on.

“Park had 11 penalty corners in that game,” McAdams said. “This time they had six. That’s a big improvement for us.”

A huge portion of Glenelg Country’s improvement comes in the scoring department, though. The Dragons managed just seven goals all last fall. After Tuesday’s game, the team has 42. McAuliffe is tops with a school-record 18.

The defense has tightened up, too, allowing only 14 goals. Defenders Brittney Jorgenson and Sarah Ligon, among others, have made life easier for keeper Sarah Bates. She had four saves against Park, none coming in the second half.

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