Glenelg girls lacrosse slays the beast, defeats Manchester Valley, 6-4, to advance to Class 2A state championship

Glenelg girls lacrosse snapped Manchester Valley's 36-game winning streak and avenged last season's regional final loss in a 2A state semifinal.

BURTONSVILLE —Take a look at Glenelg girls lacrosse in recent years and you’ll find one of the most consistent and competitive programs in Maryland. You’d also find one perennial speed bump on the road to states: Carroll County.

After two playoff losses to Century and a one-goal loss in last year’s regional final to Manchester Valley, perhaps their biggest challenge this year was a rematch with the defending Class 2A state champion Mavericks, who came into Saturday’s state semifinal undefeated and on a 36-game winning streak — which includes last year’s regional final against Glenelg.

“When we sat on that bus last year devastated, we wanted to make it back to a state championship game,” Ava Hernandez said. “We knew Manchester Valley would be our toughest game.”

The Gladiators finally got over the Carroll County hump, defeating the Mavericks, 6-4, to advance to the 2A state title game. They will meet Queen Anne’s at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Stevenson University.

“This group is special,” coach Alex Pagnotta said. “These girls rejuvenated me with their amazing work ethic and willingness to grind.”

Before earning the trip to Owings Mills, Glenelg first had to travel to Montgomery County and come away with a win. After Regan Kelleher found Emmy Dello Russo for the game’s first goal, just like that, the Howard County champions were on a roll.

“We knew we wanted to get the ball up the field and not rush,” Hernandez, who finished with two goals said. “We didn’t rush, found the openings and found the right shots at the right times.”

Soon, half of the crowd was stunned as the Gladiators fired off three more goals to open the lead to 4-0 at halftime. While the offensive explosion was a surprise to some, it was the Glenelg defense that stole the show.

Goalie Emily Altshuler was a brick wall for Pagnotta as the explosive Manchester Valley offense was held scoreless in the first half. Altshuler saved five shots in the half alone, refusing to let the hard work of her defense go to waste.

“My defense slows down every shot for me,” Altshuler said. “We all trust each other and communicate, and for us it leads to good stuff.”

Her biggest stop was likely with seven minutes to go in the game. Her team’s lead was trimmed to two and the Mavericks executed a perfect play to get an attacker one-on-one against Altshuler. But she rose to the challenge, stopped the shot and prevented Manchester Valley from gathering further momentum.

“She epitomizes what this team is about,” Pagnotta said. “It’s the work ethic. She puts in the time and works to get better, to see her have this moment and her elevation from her being a freshman to now is amazing.”

The Mavericks fought back in the third quarter as Emma Penczek and Taylor Fique finally got their team on the board. Now with their confidence back, the Mavericks increased the pressure on defense, and the aggressiveness on offense, showing the championship resolve that has enabled them the past two years during one of longest win streaks in the state.

“My team works and grinds every day,” Mavericks coach Shelly Brezicki said. “We have confidence in every situation because we know what we’re capable of and how much we trust each other.”

Feeling the pressure as the Mavericks fought back with to a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 5-4, Pagnotta knew the second his team got the ball back, they couldn’t under any circumstances give the ball back to the Mavericks for the final six minutes. A big draw win enabled his team to take care of the ball and bleed the clock before scoring an insurance goal. Another draw win ensued and Manchester Valley never saw the ball again.

“I’ve never had a team execute a game plan that well in all my years of coaching,” Pagnotta said. “There’s no shot clock and we knew they had a good ride but that ride was going to play into our hands. We were going to be super patient.”

Now, with just days to prepare for another juggernaut, the Gladiators deepest postseason run since 2019 continues. A win Tuesday would give Glenelg its first state title since the program won three straight championships from 2016-18. Pagnotta knows that after a win as big as Saturday’s he has the team to bring the trophy home.

“This is a team in every sense of the word,” he said. “This group is special.”

Glenelg — 3 1 1 1 — 6

Manchester Valley — 0 0 2 2 — 4

Goals: G —  Ava Hernandez (2), Regan Kellher, Emmy Dello Rosso, Kayleigh White, Kamryn Henson ; MV — Taylor Fique (2), Emma Penzcek, Natalie Burmeister  Assists: G — Regan Kellher, Ava Hernandez  ; MV — Emma Penzcek