High School Sports |

MIAA A soccer powers No. 1 Loyola Blakefield and No. 2 McDonogh settle for 2-2 draw

After the first half of Saturday’s boys soccer showdown between No. 1 Loyola Blakefield and No. 2 McDonogh was filled with goals, the second half belonged to the defense and several key saves by the goalies.

When the final whistle blew, the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference powers settled on a 2-2 draw that both sides felt was a fair result.

McDonogh senior goalie Jason Broome impacted the game the most with a sensational 11-save performance, the last stop on a point-blank shot from senior Sammie Walker with 3:10 to play.

Both teams finish the opening week of league play with 1-0-1 marks.

“I think 2-2 is fair. They’re a good team, we knew that. We wanted to prove today to everyone around that we’re in the conversation, and I think we did that,” McDonogh coach Brandon Quaranta said. “Jason made four or five phenomenal saves that he’s going to need to make against a team like that. We could play perfect defensively and they’ll still generate a few really good chances and you need your goalie to make plays. He came up with them today, and I’m really proud of him.”

The host Eagles came out stronger.

Javier Brown took a short pass from Blake Lloyd and finished from 12 yards to give McDonogh a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. After Broome dove to his right to make a fine save on Dan Klink’s penalty kick 30 seconds later, the Eagles made it 2-0 minutes later when Austin Roberts finished a quick one-touch pass from Valentino Quaranta in the 13th minute.

But the Dons were persistent in getting the ball forward and were rewarded with two more penalty kicks in the second half. For a second time, Broome guessed correctly to stop another from Klink, who pounced on the rebound for an easy tap-in to cut the Eagles’ lead to 2-1 with 26 minutes left in the half.  With 6:10 before the break, Broome took down Joseph Molina deep inside the penalty area for another penalty kick. Molina cleanly found the right corner to tie the game at 2.

The second half brought a slower pace — in part because several Dons were dealing with leg cramps through the final 40 minutes — but both teams had chances. With 13 minutes to play, McDonogh’s Maddox Christian got behind the Dons’ back line and hit a firm shot from 12 yards that goalie Drew Mattingly stopped with a fine reaction save, his fourth and final of the game.

Broome saved his best work with 8:15 to play when he got his fingertips on a clean left-footed strike by Molina that was perfectly aimed for the corner from 16 yards.

“It’s probably the two best teams in the league and it’s a team result — I was just doing my job,” Broome said. “I just want to win the game and am disappointed we didn’t get the win, but 2-2 against a good team early in the season is something we can hopefully build on.”

Coming off a sensational 7-0 win over No. 5 Archbishop Spalding in their season opener on Wednesday, the Dons weren’t able to finish off their chances as well on Saturday. Credit the Eagles, who, along with Broome’s fine play, changed formations with an extra midfielder in the second half to keep the ball a little more.

“They’re a really good opponent and they’re going to be right there in the end with a lot of talented players. We weren’t surprised by the game they gave us,” Loyola coach Geaton Caltabiano said. “I thought we responded very well [after trailing 2-0], but definitely second half our fitness was a bit of an issue.”

Both teams return to league play Wednesday afternoon with home games. Loyola hosts Gilman at 4 p.m. and McDonogh takes on Archbishop Spalding at 4:15.

Goals: LB — Klink, Molina; M — Brown, Roberts

Assists: M — Lloyd, Quaranta

Saves: LB — Mattingly 4; M — J. Broome 11

Half: 2-2