Allegany boys soccer lacerated its 2023 schedule like it were tinfoil.
The undefeated, top-seeded Campers scored a school-record 112 goals and conceded only 10. For context, their Class 1A state final foe, No. 6 seed Harford Tech, amassed a school-record 59 goals this year. Allegany hasn’t lost since last year’s state semifinal against Fallston. Fifteen of 19 games have been won by at least three goals, and the Campers hadn’t trailed all year.
Allegany has simply been playing in another echelon. Saturday’s state final against the Cobras at Loyola Maryland’s Ridley Athletic Complex was one of those atypical blue moons.
Harford Tech slayed the statistical leviathan, 2-0, for its first state title in program history.
“It’s a really special deal,” Cobras coach Mike Dempsey said. “We were here three years ago and lost. That was really tough to sit and answer questions about a loss. … To see how excited these guys are, it just reiterates the fact that we’ve worked really hard to get here. It’s good to be able to finally cash it in.”
The two schools from opposite sides of the state traded punches nearly all afternoon.
Allegany nearly netted a goal off a first-half corner, but Cobras midfielder Aiden Warren executed a picturesque left leg extension to redirect what would’ve been an early deficit. Ben Kierdowski, another Harford Tech midfielder, later streaked up the right sideline with a one-on-one shot on net that could have put the Cobras in the driver’s seat had Campers keeper Steven Ness not saved it with his face.
The lid finally popped off 67 minutes into the match.
Harford Tech’s leading scorer Brendan Coldiron dropped his waist at least 35 yards out, flexing his left leg and firing a turnaround prayer. It was a magical shot — a distance his teammates are accustomed to — that ripped through the autumn air and nosedived into the high corner of the goal.
“I saw my opportunity,” Coldiron said, turning slightly to his coach beside him. “All they say is hit shots when you can. So I hit it and hoped for the best and it went in.”
“Heck of a strike from that kid,” Allegany coach Blake Gaetz said. “I don’t think our goalie was doing much about that even if he was 6-foot-4.”
Coldiron was met with a medley of “Oh my gosh” and “How did you do that?” from his teammates. Dempsey felt like that goal helped release a lot of pent-up uncertainty.
Not two minutes later, a Harford Tech free kick from Chase Pomilla took a pair of bounces before Coldiron again put it home. The senior forward was rightfully met postgame but tightly squeezed hugs from coaches and players alike as a crucial piece of their championships puzzle.
Dempsey referred to this matchup earlier in the week as a tall task. A battle of possession. “The team that does that is the team that’s going to come out on top,” he said. That didn’t prove entirely true. It often felt like, despite the long scoreless stretch, Allegany had the advantage while missing an abundance of corner and set-piece chances.
“Sometimes the game comes down to capitalizing on your chances,” Gaetz said. “And I think that’s just what didn’t really go well for us today, which has been one of our strong suits all season.”
At no point this season did the Cobras feel like an obvious choice to reach this peak.
Two senior starters endured season-ending injuries before opening day. Dempsey had to shuffle his lineup. Their calling card has been a deep bank of players stepping up. None more than Coldiron — all season, and most prominently clearing the final bar.
Harford Tech’s back line and keeper Brendan Streib were crucially strong Saturday. Allegany was awarded eight corner kicks but couldn’t capitalize on any. Not to mention the Cobras defense handed Allegany its only shutout of the year.
“I’m happy for these guys,” Dempsey said. “They’ll always be the first group of guys to put a trophy into the school.”
