Perry Hall Girls Soccer Shuts Out Catonsville

Comets head coach James Fitzpatrick needed only one word to sum up what his girls must do if they plan on defeating Perry Hall this season.

Finish.

Tuesday, in search of a county championship, Catonsville had its opportunities at the goal, could not cash them in and wound up falling to the Gators, 3-0, at Clarence E. McWilliams Stadium at Franklin High School.

Of the Comets three losses, two have come at the hands of Perry Hall, which won the teams’ regular season matchup, 5-2, earlier this year.

“They’re older, quicker, faster, maybe a bit more talented than us, but I think the game boiled down to not finishing the chances we had,” Fitzpatrick said. “…Everything else will come together for us if we can start seeing some results.”

Trailing 1-0 with around 13 minutes to play in the first half, the Comets (10-3) squandered their best chance at an equalizer when Lauren McDonald delivered a textbook centering pass to fellow freshman Jennifer Nonn. However, shooting on the run from about 15 yards out, Nonn’s attempt sailed a few feet over the crossbar.

Catonsville arguably didn’t get a better look at the goal for the remainder of the game.

The Gators (12-3) earned the lead in the 13^th minute when Sofia Perzon corralled a deflected pass in the center of the box and beat freshman keeper Natalie Croom with a sizzling, line drive shot. Diving to her right, Croom slowed down the attempt, but struck with so much force, the ball trickled past her into the net.

Perry Hall extended its lead to 3-0 in the second half on scores by Samantha Testerman and Perzon, a second time, in the 48^th and 60^th minutes, respectively. 

Still, the Comets kept on scrapping and appeared to cut the deficit to 3-1 when a deflected corner kick by Rachel Woods off the noggin of Deb Milani found its way into the back of the net. However, the referee nullified the score, motioning that a Catonsville player’s push occurred prior to the goal being scored.

Said Fitzpatrick, “Those are the little things in a soccer match that can really swing momentum one way or the other.”

With Perry Hall and Catonsville slated as the top two seeds in Class 4A North for the state playoffs all signs point to the two teams meeting again for the regional final in a couple of weeks.

Following the loss, Fitzpatrick says the Comets are putting this game behind them and turning their attention toward earning the opportunity for a rematch.

“We worked hard [during the regular season] to get the seeding we have” Fitzpatrick said. “We can get a bye and take a day off, set this one behind us, start up again, focus on regional play and we hope to see Perry Hall again. They’re a good team and I think so are we.”