While the No. 1 Wilde Lake boys soccer team and No. 5 Severna Park girls came away with District V titles on Tuesday -- defeating No. 2 Arundel and No. 6 Marriotts Ridge, respectively -- the two losing teams also enjoyed benefits that could pay off big in the upcoming region and state playoffs.

The first for both teams was avoiding a long layoff between their regular-season finale and first region playoff games. With both teams earning first-round byes, their first playoff action won't take place until Tuesday, Nov. 2, which would have left close to a two-week gap between games. Instead, they played in intense games that had a playoff-like feel right in the middle of the break.

In Arundel's case, the Wildcats also got to experience a penalty kick shootout (they lost 3-2 after playing Wilde Lake to a 1-1 tie through overtime), which could come about during the playoffs.

Marriotts Ridge coach Robin Grey said that not only did her Mustangs get to play a high-caliber team in Severna Park, which came away with a 1-0 win, but they also got the chance to play on artificial turf at Meade High. All Howard County schools play on natural grass, but the Mustangs could play some playoff games on turf.