By Carol Gralia
An impromptu dance the night before the school prom is one that the Glenelg team will long remember.
Trailing Mt. Hebron, 5-1, on April 25 and basically stinking up the place with dropped passes and poor play, the Glenelg players were chatty at halftime, talking over their coaches' comments. That's when coach Ginger Kincaid started tap dancing -- on their egos.
There was a challenge in her message.
"I jumped them. I said, 'You've been telling me all along that you guys are able to (beat Mt. Hebron), so now is the time to put up or shut up.' "
It was a different Glenelg that returned to the field, a more focused team, one that ultimately claimed a 14-11 overtime victory over Mt. Hebron. It was Glenelg's first win over Mt. Hebron and it may have been one of the best games ever played in the county.
Alayna Markwordt, Kristy Black and Brie Kitchelt combined for four unanswered goals in the second half to tie the game, 6-6. That comeback made Glenelg believe it was possible to win. From that point on, until the score was tied 10-all, neither team could get more than one goal ahead.
Glenelg had a chance to win the game in regulation, on an 8-meter free position with 23 seconds left, but Mt. Hebron's keeper, Meghan Savage (11 saves), blocked the shot and the game went into overtime.
Glenelg controlled the first draw and Black scored 30 seconds into the overtime period. Lauren Giraldi added a cushion and Black padded that with a second goal to make the score, 13-10, as the teams changed ends.
A minute into the second overtime period, Mt. Hebron's Julianne Giles, who already had six goals to her credit, was awarded an 8-meter free position, but Katie Beaver (12 saves) made the stop.
"Katie's save was huge," Black said. "I was like, You go girl!"
Mt. Hebron quickly got the ball back, but a few more seconds went off the clock before Monica Zabel was able to score what turned out to be the Vikings' only tally of overtime.
Black scored her sixth goal of the game just before time ran out. Markwordt (three), Kitchelt and Giraldi (two each) also had multiple goal games for Glenelg.
Ashley Bruns added four goals to the Mt. Hebron cause.
"The first half was very indicative of the old Glenelg. The, oh, God, we are playing Hebron," Kincaid said. "The second half was totally gutted out from the seniors on down. They wanted it, they went out and they took it."
Here's why. "We wanted to make history tonight," Giraldi said.
And they did.
E-mail Carol Gralia at cgralia@patuxent.com.
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