By Jay Bucci, Sports Editor
The River Hill Varsity Girls’ soccer team won its third straight 3A state championship on Thursday, November 13 in a decisive 2-1 win over Linganore. Despite arriving to the Loyola stadium only thirty minutes before the start of the game, the girls came out with an overwhelming spirit and calm. This being many of the girls’ third time at a state championship, they were very prepared and focused.
However, the team this year started three freshmen, all of which were new to the pressures that high school sports present. Yet experienced players like senior captain Alex Hamer and junior Jessie Hopkins quickly settled down into their usual game, scoring two goals in the first seven minutes of the game. The first goal Hamer assisted Hopkins and only a few minutes later Hopkins assisted Hamer.
Linganore had many chances to score, but experienced defender Becca Higgins and goalie Julia Caine led the River Hill defense and prevented Linganore from gaining another and tying the game. They were close, though, and freshman Megan Chun and Higgins both had to clear the ball off of the goal line.
And midway through the second half Linganore had a prime opportunity to tie the game up on a penalty kick, but Caine was determined and made a diving save keeping the River Hill Hawks in the lead. Caine says that the team “practiced penalty kicks everyday so I knew if I focused I would have a good chance. She was looking to my right, but her hips were going to my left and I just watched the ball.”
Caine’s save electrified the whole River Hill team as they held on through the final minutes and came out victorious.
This state title solidified the Hawk’s dream of a three-peat, the third three-peat in River Hill girl’s soccer history, the other two being from 1999-2001 and 2006-2008.
Hamer, after having some time to reflect on what it means to be a state champion stated that “Winning was the most amazing feeling in the whole world. To win three state titles in a row is a very special thing, so I also felt very thankful to have the opportunity to represent my school and to leave that legacy behind.”
With this season over, the younger girls along with veteran coach Brian Song look towards the future. Hopkins has now committed to the University of Maryland Baltimore County, an impressive feet, but attention is still focused on breaking a first and becoming the first girls Varsity Soccer team at River Hill to win four state championships in a row.
But even as the Hawks move forward, they will always remember the special season that the team shared. Hamer expresses her feelings in saying, “I love the team, and I’ll have these memories for a life time!”