Back in August, Marriotts Ridge coach Kevin Flynn figured his boys’ soccer squad would be a work in progress with several new faces in key spots. Three months later, the Mustangs are back in a familiar spot: the Class 2A state Final Four.
Top-ranked Marriotts Ridge earned its third consecutive berth in the state semis with a 6-0 dispatching of Calvert in the South Region title Tuesday night in Marriottsville. The Mustangs will play North Region champ Eastern Tech Friday evening at Bel Air.
Senior forward Mike Glazer scored twice for the Mustangs (16-1 overall) with a goal each from senior Pat Sullivan, Ethan Bannar, sophomore Brad Martinelli and Michael Martin. Christian Stephenson and Patrick Moore combined for seven stops for the shutout.
After outlasting Southern-Anne Arunel in Friday’s semifinal round, the Mustangs sent their title round opponent from southern Maryland reeling early with four first half goals. Sullivan and Bannar added an assist along with Sang Lee, Kevin Yu and Jesse Caples.
Marriotts Ridge now stands two wins away from a second straight crown. The last Howard County boys’ team to claim consecutive state titles was River Hill which ran off four straight from 2002 to 2005.
