Thursday's first of its kind soccer game at Calvert Hall -- the first athletic event ever played under the lights in school history -- lived up to its billing and then some with visiting Mount St. Joseph taking on the lead role in a Hollywood-like script.

The Gaels came away with a win in penalty kicks to advance to Monday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship against defending league champion McDonogh.

How they made it was nothing short of incredible with a number of heroes taking turns on center stage. First to step up was JV goalie Dominic Ruggiero, who was unexpectedly pressed into action when starter Brad Benzing was not available due to what coach Mike St. Martin called school-related issues.

Playing in front of an estimated 2,700 fans, Ruggiero was able to keep the Gaels close, enabling Jalen Robinson to tie the game at 2 with just 15 seconds left in regulation as the Calvert Hall student body was ready to spill onto the field.

Then, senior forward David Arnold stole the show when the game went into penalty kicks. As penalty kicks approached, St.Martin asked Arnold, tall and athletic, to not only take a penalty kick, but also stop some. So after making good on his penalty kick to get the Gaels off to a strong start, he made saves on the last three Calvert Hall attempts to give the Gaels a 3-2 win.

It was the first time Arnold, a team captain, had been in goal since he was 11 years old.

Mount St. Joseph will take on McDonogh at 7 p.m. Monday at Johns Hopkins. The Gaels upset the Eagles, 2-1, in early October. It was the Eagles' first loss of the season and came the same week they were named the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time ever.

Monday's game also will be a rematch of last year's title game, a 6-1 win by McDonogh.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

The Patterson boys soccer team, which went undefeated in the regular season and repeated as Baltimore City champs, had their season end with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Urbana in Thursday's Class 4A North region playoffs.

The Clippers, whose roster had players from 12 different countries across five continents, finished with a 14-1 mark. They took a 2-0 lead early on goals from Bash Kamara and James Tarra, but Urbana, from Frederick County, got both goals back in the first half and then scored the game-winner with five minutes left in regulation to advance.

"I am very proud of our guys for leaving everything on the field," Patterson coach Harry Martin said. "They played with a tremendous amount of pride and energy for the whole game."

- Glenn Graham

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

For the first time since the school opened in 1845 and moved to Towson 115 years later, Calvert Hall will host an athletic event under the lights on campus. The Cardinals will play the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference soccer semifinal at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. The game will be against the winner of Friday’s game between Mount St. Joseph and Archbishop Curley.

Calvert Hall athletic director Lou Eckerl said President Brother Thomas Zoppo decided to look into having a night event at Calvert Hall so more parents would be able to attend, especially with daylight savings time. Zoppo decided that a soccer playoff game would be good to determine the positives and negatives of hosting games in the evening. The school is renting the lights for the game.

The Cardinals (10-5) entered the MIAA playoffs as a No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye. Calvert Hall is seeking its first title since 2003.

-- Todd Karpovich

Posted by Kevin Eck at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

The District V soccer championships -- originally scheduled to be played today at Long Reach -- have been moved to Arundel High; the times have not changed. The girls game -- Severna Park vs. Reservoir -- will take place at 5 p.m., followed by the boys game -- Severna Park vs. Marriotts Ridge -- at 7.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Baltimore County soccer championships will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Franklin High. The girls championship between Hereford and Catonsville is set for 5 p.m. followed by the boys game -- Loch Raven vs. Perry Hall -- at 7.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

McDonogh senior defender Joe Meyer has made a commitment to play soccer at Bucknell next year.

The first-team All-Metro selection chose Bucknell over Princeton, Brown, Virginia and UMBC.

Meyer, who maintains a weighted 4.2 grade point average, has played a big role in helping the Eagles capture the past two Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championships.

He also is a member of the Baltimore Bays club team, which captured U.S. Youth Soccer Association national championships in 2007 and 2008.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Loyola senior goalie Tim Peitsch has made a verbal commitment to play soccer at San Diego State University.

The four-year starter has played in all but one game for the Dons since his freshman season. Last year, he missed one game with a broken thumb.

In addition to his fine career at Loyola, Peitsch also was the starting goalie for two Casa Mia Bays club teams that captured national championships in 2007 and 2008. In both championship runs, he received the Golden Glove Award for being the top goalkeeper. Peitsch plans to major in computer science at San Diego State.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Turns out the McDonogh boys soccer team had a short run as the nation's No. 1 team.

After taking over the top spot in the ESPN Rise and NSCAA polls last week -- the first time the program has ever reached No. 1 in either -- the Eagles were upset, 2-1, by Mount St. Joseph on Friday.

McDonogh dropped to 13th in the ESPN poll and 17th in the NSCAA. Today's game against visiting Archbishop Curley, set for 4 p.m. at McDonogh, was postponed until tomorrow with the game time set for 4:15.

The Archbishop Spalding girls also were ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA, but dropped to fourth after a scoreless tie against Good Counsel last week. The Cavaliers are No. 10 in the ESPN rankings.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Boys soccer, Girls soccer
        

One of the best neighborhood rivalries in the entire metro area can be found in Anne Arundel County, where Severna Park and Broadneck have maintained excellent athletic programs throughout the years.

In the next couple days, the rivalry will add new layers with the schools battling it out in a number of sports.

On Thursday, the No. 3 Broadneck volleyball team will travel to No. 5 Severna Park for a 5 p.m. match.

Later on Thursday, Broadneck's newly-anointed No. 1 field hockey team also visits Severna Park to take on the No. 3 and defending Class 4A state champ Falcons at 7 p.m.

On Friday, boys soccer takes center stage when the No. 2 Falcons travel to No. 4 Broadneck at 7 p.m.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer, Field hockey, Volleyball
        

Flipping through the channels on Tuesday night, I stumbled upon a familiar scene on the local news while catching some college soccer highlights: Andrew Bulls celebrating a goal.

Bulls, now a sophomore at UMBC, was a standout at McDonogh, earning All-Metro honors as a senior midfielder in 2007.

On Tuesday, he scored on a free kick from 20-plus yards out to lead the undefeated Retrievers (8-0) to a 1-0 win over Loyola.

Bulls, who has 10 goals and five assists this season, also scored a game-winner in a 1-0 win against Towson last week.

The Retrievers also are getting fine play from freshman Phil Saunders (Perry Hall) in goal. He came up with three big saves in Tuesday's win and has allowed just three goals all season.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

McDonogh senior defender Marquez Fernandez, the All-Metro Player of the Year in boys soccer last season, is expected to return to the lineup after missing two weeks with a chest injury. The No. 1 Eagles are 9-0 and 3-0 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, allowing just two goals so far this season. The Eagles will host John Carroll at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Matt DeOrsey was a standout soccer player at Middletown High in Frederick and Towson University in the 1990s.

From all accounts, he was an even greater person. On Jan. 23, 2008, DeOrsey died suddenly of an apparent heart attack just two days before his 31st birthday, leaving behind his wife and three children.

To celebrate his life, family and friends are hosting the second annual DeOFest to raise money for The Matt DeOrsey Children's Fund and The Epilepsy Foundation of the Chesapeake Region.

The gathering, set for Sept. 26 from 4 to 8 p.m., will take place at Slainte Irish Pub and Woody Rum Bar & Island Grill in Fells Point. Tickets are $50 and include all you can eat, all you can drink and live entertainment.

For more information, click here.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Saturday's games in the McDonogh boys soccer tournament that were scheduled to take place at the school have been moved to Loyola College. The times also have changed.

The Centennial-Curley game is set for 12, with the McDonogh-Perry Hall showdown set for 2.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

It was last year's most stunning goal that produced the season's biggest upset: Perry Hall's Ray Rogowski provided it with an overtime header that beat No. 1 McDonogh on the Eagles' home field.

It turned out to help serve two purposes.

For the Gators, who were ranked No. 7 at the time and had lost to Archbishop Curley, 3-0, the day before, it showed they could play with anybody and gave them an added surge of confidence to later reach the Class 4A state championship game.

For McDonogh, it said nothing can be taken for granted. It would be the only setback for the Eagles as they finished with a 20-1 season as the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champs.

One year later, the teams are set to meet again Saturday afternoon in the closing game of the two-day McDonogh Tournament.

Friday's games -- Perry Hall vs. Archbishop Curley, 3 p.m., and McDonogh vs. Centennial, 5 -- have been moved to Cedar Lane Park due to the rain.

Saturday's games, originally scheduled to take place at McDonogh, have been moved to Loyola College. The Centennial-Curley game is set for 12, with the McDonogh-Perry Hall showdown scheduled for 2.

Tomorrow, the tournament returns to McDonogh with Centennial and Curley set for 11 a.m. followed by the much-anticipated Perry Hall-McDonogh rematch.

Is there any added motivation on the Eagles' part?

"It's a different year, different team. But we do have a lot of the same players," said McDonogh coach Steve Nichols. "Last year's game was more of a wake-up call from a coaches' standpoint. If it doesn't happen we don't wake up and make that run. From a players' perspective, I think our guys took that result personally."

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Whatever the sport may be, some programs have the innate ability to simply reload as oppose to rebuild after suffering significant graduate hits.

One of those programs is the Fallston boys soccer team, which has had to revamp its lineup this season after graduating eight starters from last year's Class 3A state runner-up squad.

The No. 5 Cougars went up against No. 6 River Hill, another perennial state power with more experienced talent, on Tuesday and held their own before falling in the closing minutes, 2-1.

In the losing cause, the Cougars played organized with good pace and purpose for all 80 minutes, a credit to coach Christopher Hoover and his staff. The one player that stood out from both teams was Fallston senior forward Mikey Antinozzi, who is a great example of how the special programs maintain excellence.

In Tuesday's game, Antinozzi had quality touch after quality touch, proving a tough mark with the ability to create his own shot or set up teammates as the Cougars' offensive centerpiece.

"Last year, he was our third option up there. But this year, he has really stepped up both as a leader and taken over. He understands the flow of the game real well and knows what we want to do," Hoover said.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

The Baltimore Bays youth soccer club has established itself as a national power, consistently winning national championships in a number of age groups in recent years.

The club's success also paid dividends for a number of area high schools as 37 freshmen players -- girls and boys -- have earned varsity roster spots from 24 schools.

Here's a look at the Bays' players looking to make an immediate impact for their respective high schools.

Girls

Notre Dame Prep

Casey Clarke - U15 Bays Chelsea

Simona Parravano - U14 Bays Chelsea

Catholic 

Alexis Siejack- U14 Bays Chelsea

John Carroll

Kiana Wright - U14 Bays Chelsea

Mercy

Alex Pryor - U15 Bays Chelsea

Dulaney

Olivia O'Brien - U14 Bays Chelsea

Northeast

Jessie Smith - U14 Bays Chelsea

North Harford

Meaghan Root - U15 Bays Chelsea

Rising Sun

Brooke Thompson - U15 Bays Chelsea

Haley Wisner- U15 Bays Chelsea

Maryvale

Darcy Wood - U15 Bays Chelsea

Kenwood

Brianna Gilliam - U14 Bays Chelsea

Allison Tarr - U14 Bays Chelsea

Boys

McDonogh

Jacob McHugh - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Matt Sanchez - U15 Bays Chelsea

Matt Barth - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Loyola

Michael DeGraffenreidt - U15 Bays Chelsea

Jeremy DeGraffenreidt - U15 Bays Chelsea

Tony Butta - U15 Bays Chelsea

Gilman

Tanner Vosvick - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Anthony Kim - U15 Bays Chelsea

Archbishop Curley

Anthony Driscoll- U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Michael Sauers - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Kyle Hunt - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Christian Kershaw - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

PJ Koscher - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Brad Warenicz - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

John Carroll

Caleb Anderson- U15 Bays Blues

Friends 

Connor Finn- U15 Bays Blue Lions

Urbana

Paul Windsor- U15 Bays Chelsea

Howard

Wesley Furr- U15 Bays United

Mount Hebron

Lucas Rose- U15 Bays Blues

Centennial

Peter Vorel - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

St John's College

Sam Davis - U14 Bays Chelsea Academy

Bullis

Jonathan Barron - U15 Bays Chelsea

Edmund Burke

Romy Hernandez- U15 Bays Chelsea

Bel Air

Nat Hand - U15 Bays Blues

Posted by Glenn Graham at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)