Cavaliers beat the Lions 3-1 in September. They'll rematch Saturday with a state final spot on the line
Despite being in the same county and only 6 miles apart, the MPSSAA has the Liberty and South Carroll girls soccer teams hitting the road as the county foes meet in a Class 1A state semifinal Saturday at North County High in Glen Burnie.
The Cavaliers, who defeated Liberty 3-1 on Sept. 18, are the Class 1A West Region II champions. Coach Andrew Isacco's team has rattled off nine straight wins since its lone loss of the season, entering Saturday's matchup with a 14-1 record.
Oddly, the neighboring schools were separated for the postseason. The Lions concurred an abbreviated run to another Class 1A North Region II title after defeating Baltimore City's National Academy Foundation 9-0 in the regional final. The defending Class 1A state champions have won six of their last seven games and outscored their two postseason opponents 10-0.
Liberty (10-3-1) and South Carroll (14-1) clash in the Class 1A state semifinals at 5 p.m. Saturday at North County.
Isacco and Liberty coach Danielle Prietz spoke with the Carroll County Times ahead of the matchup.
Editor's note: Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
How does it feel to have two Carroll County teams meeting this deep in the playoffs?
Isacco: It's unusual for sure. I knew when things got restructured that this was a possibility. I didn't think it would happen this fast, but now we're here.
Prietz: It's pretty cool, when you have the two of us and then another school representing the county in the state tournament (Century), it shows everyone else that Carroll County is right up there with those "powerhouse" counties that consistently have multiple schools at this point.
What stands out to you about the other team and the way they play?
Isacco: They're really good at attacking spaces and creating goal scoring opportunities from different parts of the field. They are dynamic and it's because they are coached and encouraged to be that way.
Prietz: They're a good, all-around team. They posses the ball well and they have some good set pieces that that like to run.
You faced each other earlier this season. How much does that first matchup matter going into this one -- or is it a completely new game now?
Isacco: The stakes are a lot higher now; that first game doesn't matter so much. We are a young team so we were still finding ourselves back then. I think we play a lot different now.
Prietz: It was a learning opportunity. Now that we have them again, it's a chance for us to learn from what happened in that first matchup and adjust to come out better for this game.
What's the biggest change or area of growth you've seen in your team since that first meeting?
Isacco: We've matured. I have four freshman and four seniors which is kind of unusual on a varsity team. But we've matured and we're playing confident soccer, we have grown together and found ourselves.
Prietz: We play together more, we're much better as an overall unit. I only have two starters from last year's team so it took a lot of building and more opportunity, but now we're communicating and supporting each other much better.
You'll be playing on a turf field. How does that affect a team that's used to playing on grass most of the season?
Isacco: It takes some getting used to, things are much faster on turf. The ball bounces differently so we've been working to account for things like that.
Prietz: I know the game is going to be faster, which is an opportunity for us. A lot of the girls play on turf during the club season, so I don't think it effects them much at all. They'll be ready.
If you had to describe this team in one word leading into Saturday's game, what would it be, and why?
Isacco: "Resilient." Nothing seems to phase them, no matter what's going on they seem to have an answer for it and they respond.