Queen Anne's outlasts Easton

EASTON — Queen Anne’s County High’s field hockey team doesn’t have a goalie competition.

It has a goalie luxury.

Longtime head coach Shana Corder can rotate senior Cassidy Alexander and junior Caroline Kimball throughout regulation play. But when it comes to defending a penalty stroke, Alexander draws the assignment. And when the game pushes into one vs. one play, Kimball knows it’s her turn to step into the cage.

Ellee McLean and Jordan Bilbo each scored on their one vs. one chances, and Kimball allowed Easton nothing on four opportunities Tuesday afternoon, boosting Queen Anne’s to a 1-0 victory over the Warriors in a game that felt more like a Class 2A regional playoff clash.

“It was a great game,” said Easton head coach Kim Neff, after her team slipped to 4-3 overall, 1-1 North Bayside.

It was a game that featured strong defensive play by both teams, and huge stops by goalies on both sides.

Queen Anne’s (6-1, 3-0), which hasn’t lost since losing a one vs. one showdown at Pocomoke to open the season, rotated their goalies during regulation play, with Alexander playing the first and third quarters, and Kimball the second and fourth.

Alexander, registered her 100th career save with 7 minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter, when she dove to her left to smother a shot on an Easton penalty corner. Just 33 seconds later, Alexander laid flat out to foil another Warrior scoring bid, to keep the game a scoreless stalemate.

“I just thought about my team,” said Alexander, when asked if save No. 100 was weighing on her mind. “We have an extremely intense team and they always are willing to give 110 percent. So when it comes to my end, it’s just my job to pick up the scraps and do my job to help us win that game. And I think I definitely played a part in that.”

Alexander, who finished with eight saves, played both 10-minute overtime periods, and foiled Easton’s Addie Knox on the doorstep 1:38 into the first OT.

Just a freshman, Easton goalie Taylor Bowen turned away everything that came her way, and produced her biggest save at the end of the second overtime, when she denied McLean in the closing seconds.

“She is incredible,” Neff said of Bowen, who finished with four saves. “Her footwork. She’s really fast. She can see the field. She’s great at communicating with her defense. And for a freshman who just came into the position, we’re very impressed.”

The game remained scoreless after two overtimes, pushing the game into one vs. one play. Each team selected five players, with each one having 10 seconds to try and score.

Kimball, who did not register a save in regulation, made three one vs. one stops, charging from the cage, flopping onto the ground while waving her stick to make deflections and foil every Easton attempt.

“She’s more dynamic that me,” Alexander said of Kimball when it comes to one vs. ones. “She’s really good at just staying with the girl. She’s incredible. She’s like my little sister. I always had trust in her.”

The first shooter in the game’s deciding segment, McLean moved toward Bowen, stopped and made a quick circle before sending a shot into the right corner of the cage for the game’s first goal.

Olivia Orrell’s was Easton’s first shooter, but with Kimball coming out to challenge her, never got a shot off in the 10-second limit.

Jordan Bilbo gave Queen Anne’s a 2-0 lead when she steered another ball into the right side of the cage.

Kimball again came out to cut down the angle on Easton’s No. 2 shooter, Maedy Leitzer, who could not find the cage.

“Definitely not my first shootout,” Kimball said. “Whenever I do go into something like that I really just try to focus on what’s happening in front of me. And just like, try and see what I can do to like counteract what they’re trying to do. Fortunately, they had a couple of balls come at me, and that’s when I swiped it away or kicked it. That was me counteracting. Most of the time I just trying to run down the time so that they have less time to score.”

Queen Anne’s last two shooters, Haley Cole and Ava Fields, were unable to cushion the Lions’ advantage. But Kimball dove to her left to deflect Myka Motovidlak’s bid, then flopped to her left again to get a piece of Addie Knox’s shot, that skidded left of the cage, bringing Queen Anne’s players onto the field to mob Kimball.

“Caroline knows she’s our shootout goalie,” Corder said. “Cassidy is better at saving strokes and Caroline is better at one v. ones. And these two girls work so well together. So Cassidy’s like, ‘Yes, put her in (in one v. ones). She’s better at that.’ So if I get a stroke call and Cassidy’s on the sideline, I sub my goalie in because Cassidy’s better. I’m so blessed that I have the ability to do that off the bench. In my career, that’s never happened.

“And it makes the girls believe in both of them,” Corder continued. “So they’re confident no matter who’s back there. Whether it’s Cassidy the first half and then Caroline, they’re totally confident with their goalies. Both are excellent leaders back there. I just couldn’t be more proud of them because honestly they’re literally keeping us in it.”

Queen Anne’s finished with 11 corners to Easton’s 10.