Marriotts Ridge sophomore Bella Boats is everywhere on the field. The young midfielder with an unwavering motor made her mark when the Mustangs needed it most.
Bel Air had all the momentum with three straight goals to get within two of the Mustangs late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s Class 3A state quarterfinal. That was until Boats stepped into the draw circle.
She won the ensuing draw cleanly and took it all the way for her first goal of the game. On the next possession, she forced a turnover and found junior Esther Yang for a goal to push the Mustangs’ lead to four.
That was a pivotal stretch as No. 4 seed Marriotts Ridge closed out a 13-7 win over No. 5 seed Bel Air.
Boats finished with two goals, 14 ground balls and two caused turnovers.
“She’s battery powered in a sense,” Marriotts Ridge coach Amanda Brady said. “We, I think, feed off it too in some ways. I think it helps give us that momentum and that push. We felt that there were a couple times that we’d come up with it and had the momentum, which produced an offensive play. Bella is still young and is still finding success in her youth. I love that she has this energy that we need to see on both ends of the field.”
The Mustangs (14-3) advance to 3A state semifinals for the third time in the past four seasons. They’ll face No. 8 seed Dulaney, who defeated top-seed Sherwood, 13-12, on a day and time to be announced.
After the teams exchanged goals to start, Marriotts Ridge orchestrated a four-goal run from late in the first through the midway portion of the second. The Mustangs dictated possession and controlled the draw, winning 16 of 23 overall.
Bel Air struggled early in the circle, losing midfielder and draw specialist Darby Doehring to a lower-body injury in warmups. Chrish Vaxmonsky took most of the draws for the Mustangs while Boats and fellow sophomore Allison Custer sprinted to ground balls on the wings.
“I like to run,” Boats said. “I run cross country and indoor track. It’s mostly about wanting to win. Every time the ball is on the ground, I say, ‘That has to be me.’ It’s good to be the one to get it every time.”
Bel Air (12-5) ended an over 17-minute drought late in the first half on a goal from Paige Feick. The Bobcats started strong early in the second half, cutting the deficit to two. However, Marriotts Ridge, once again surged ahead by controlling possession. Jenna Cratin, Vaxmonsky and Yang each scored in a 1:02 span to take a five-goal lead, their largest of the game to that point.
Bel Air battled back with three goals in 2:12 to bring it back within two. However, Marriotts Ridge’s late third-quarter surge and fourth quarter shutout proved too much for the Bobcats to overcome.
“I’m most proud of the fact that I don’t think anyone expected this team to do what they did,” Bel Air coach Kristen Barry said. “We went 8-9 last year and lost a lot of seniors. All three of our goalies weren’t goalies; they were field players who decided to step up and take one for the team and learn to be a goalie. They were as good as they were because there was no drama, everyone jelled and believed in each other.”
For Marriotts Ridge, the state semifinals isn’t an unfamiliar stage, as it appears for a sixth time. However, this year’s group has just four players from the 2022 state championship team with Yang being the only one who played in that game.
Yet, for what the Mustangs lack in deep postseason experience, they make up for with a youthful exuberance and energy.
“I’m just excited to get to play one more time,” Yang said.
Boats added: “It’s honestly amazing. Esther is like my big sister every time I need some help or guidance.”
Marriotts Ridge — 3 2 6 2 — 13
Bel Air — 1 1 5 0 — 7
Goals: MR- Esther Yang 3, Chrish Vaxmonsky 3, Bella Boats 2, Katie Leader 2, Rachel Harper, Allison Custer, Jenna Cratin; BA- Riley Manzo 3, Delaney Burrows 2, Paige Feick, Molly Magee. Assists: MR- Jenna Cratin 3, Esther Yang 2; BA- Mia Jourdan, Delaney Burrows. Saves: MR- Kaelyn Krozy 1; BA- Elena Sinar 10.
