WORTON — There’s a reason they call an overtime loss “sudden death.”
It’s instant.
Final.
No opportunity to come back.
Ask any member of Kent County High School’s girls lacrosse team, or their coach.
“Pretty devastating,” head coach Jim Egan said of KCHS’ 14-13 loss to Elkton in the Class 1A East II Region championship game last month.
In a note to himself about the May 11 game, Egan had written “lots of tears.”
Elkton’s golden goal was scored with only 33 seconds remaining in the three-minute extra period when junior midfielder Jordan McCullough put back the rebound of a free-position shot.
She led all players with eight goals.
McCullough was the fastest player on the field, and very skilled.
“We couldn’t stop her,” Egan said matter-of-factly.
McCullough’s first-quarter hat trick gave the No. 2-seeded Elks a 4-2 lead with 3 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the first frame.
The spread was 5-2 just 9 seconds into the second quarter — McCullough going straight to goal after controlling the draw — before KCHS found a way to slow down the game, if not completely stop McCullough.
Kent County sophomore Abby Gallo scored the first of her team-high five goals, a laser shot from above the 8-meter arc, with 10:10 to go in the half.
Nine minutes later, Gallo set up sophomore Clare Gerstung for an open look, shrinking the deficit to 5-4 at intermission.
In the back-and-forth third quarter, Gallo, Mary Jane Joiner and Jane Cleary collectively scored five goals in the span of six and a half minutes to put the Trojans back out in front, 9-8, with 4:50 remaining.
Back-to-back goals from Gallo and Joiner, each driving in from above the 8, leveled the score at 6 apiece with 10:32 to play in the third quarter.
Another one-two flurry, this time Gallo and then Cleary 13 seconds later, made it 8-7. Southpaw Cleary’s right-handed shot to finish off a drive across the crease with 7:25 on the clock gave the Trojans their first lead since 1-0 on Cleary’s putback of a teammate’s miss just 31 seconds into the game.
Elkton [7-9] deadlocked at 8-8 on Sally Weaker’s man-up goal with 7:05 to play in the third quarter.
Gallo restored KCHS’ lead at 9-8 with just under five minutes remaining in the frame.
The McCullough-led Elks scored the next four goals in a run that carried over into the fourth quarter to pull ahead, 12-9, with 9:10 remaining in regulation.
In a remarkable display of grit and determination, Kent County came all the way back to tie at 12-all on consecutive goals from Joiner [from Cleary] at 8:08, Gallo on a drive from above the 8-meter arc at 7:39 and Cleary at 5:42 with a shot that found the upper right corner of the twine.
McCullough put Elkton back out in front, 13-12, with 2:20 to play in regulation, but the lead was short-lived.
Liza Loller found Joiner for the tying goal with the clock showing 1:42.
Gallo scored what first appeared to be the go-ahead goal 1:12 later on a free-position shot, but the officials waved it off for a crease violation, sending the game into overtime.
The Trojans [7-6] had the first shot at the golden goal, but missed on a free position 1:10 into the extra period.
Elkton also missed on a free position 1:17 later, but McCullough scooped up the ground ball in the ensuing scramble and her second-chance shot found the back of the net for the sudden victory.
“We came really, really close,” Egan said.
“It was just so close,” he said for emphasis.
Egan said all the Trojans played well, while also singling out the defense and specifically senior Tess Fuchs for her role in moving the ball into the attacking end.
Of the season in general, capped by a second straight trip to the region final as the top seed, Egan said, “I thought it was a really great season. All the girls played really hard.”
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In voting by opposing coaches, Kent County senior midfielder Mary Jane Joiner [26 goals, 10 assists] and sophomore midfielder Abby Gallo [35 goals, 11 assists] were placed on the second team of the All-Bayside Conference team.
For schools in the conference’s North division, which include Class 2A state semifinalist Kent Island, Joiner was placed on the elite first team, Gallo and junior midfielder Jane Cleary [23 goals, 14 assists] were placed on the second team, and senior defender Tess Fuchs and freshman attacker Keelyn Clayton [20 goals, 4 assists] received honorable mention.
