Thursday at River Hill, the Marriotts Ridge girls soccer team has a chance to go from spoiler to champion.

At this time last year, the Mustangs put forth a determined front, earning a 0-0 double overtime tie against River Hill that gave Reservoir the Howard County championship and kept the Hawks from their ninth.

This year's meeting — set for 5:30 p.m. in Clarksville — is winner take all.

Marriotts Ridge (10-1-1) and River Hill (12-1) both go into the regular-season finale sharing first place with 9-1 county marks — making the math simple. The winner comes away the county championship and earns the right to play Anne Arundel County champ and No. 5 Severna Park in the District V title game Tuesday at Meade High.

"Our program has come a long way in five years and this is a great way to continue on. To play River Hill for the county championship is a great opportunity. The girls are very excited," said Marriotts Ridge coach Robin Grey, whose team is seeking its first county title.

The Mustangs and Hawks play a similar style, looking to possess the ball and play short passes to feet.

Whichever team consistently gets to the ball first will win.

The Mustangs boast two nine-goal scorers in Maxine Brewer and Katie Kanner, while the Hawks have relied on balanced scoring with set pieces a consistent source of offense. Anna Theisen and Tope Olujobi are the Hawks' primary threats.

"We don't have any one go-to player, just a lot of role players all doing their jobs," River Hill coach Brian Song said. "So if one player is having a tough game, others are stepping up. It's nice in that it gives us a lot more flexibility."

For River Hill, the return of sophomore Haley Emrick will play a big role in trying to contain the Mustangs' strong attack. Injured early in the season, she returned two games ago and has solidified the team's defense.