Capital Gazette 2024 girls lacrosse All County: Spalding’s Gabby Greene ruled the county and state

Gabby Greene sat in class at Archbishop Spalding and all she could think about was lacrosse.

The need to shoot every day burned in her mind. It kept her sane, she said, even when everything else felt less secure. There were so few months of the year that she could actually don the Cavaliers uniform, but she’d fill her days with lessons, practices — anything to sharpen her already razor-like skill.

Then, in that too-short period between March and May, she’d unleash.

Some players rack up towering goal totals against weaker opposition, but not Greene. She preferred to turn the best defenses into her own personal playground.

Greene ultimately stockpiled 75 points (65 goals) in her final season with the Cavaliers, and was named to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland All-Conference team and the New Balance All-America Senior Game girls roster, considered the high school sport’s most prestigious honor nationally. She is also Capital Gazette 2024 girls lacrosse Player of the Year.

“She’s been really consistent. Every year you get older in a program, you gain another layer of added confidence, but she kicked it up a notch for her senior season,” Spalding coach Tara Shea said. “She was dominant every time she stepped on the field.”

Nothing else seemed to trigger her more than a comeback opportunity – her own, or the threat of someone else’s. Against Severna Park, Greene erased a four-goal deficit with four straight of her own. When John Carroll crept towards a rally in the conference quarterfinal, Greene quashed it.

“She was already playing so great, and it’s like she hit into a whole ‘nother gear,” Shea said. “I truly believe she’s going to do whatever she can to help the team win. And yes, she’s an incredible scorer and finisher, but what truly separates her is the down the stretch, tight games. She wants the ball, but she’s gonna make something happen with it.”

Instructors drilled “constant motion” into Greene’s head through her childhood. It created a figure constantly carving open space, whether it preexisted or not.

Most midfielders are thought of ball-retrievers and dodgers, but Greene liked to cut, too. She was an escape artist, getting off ball as much as she was getting fed. Spalding emphasized assisted goals this spring, so most of them ended up in Greene’s stick — no one could so quickly and accurately release as she did.

Flashy, she said with a smirk, was what some call it, but she’d never use that word.

“I think everyone knew if they see Gabby outside and she’s cutting in, she’s gonna get open. They had more confidence. I think every team we faced this year struggled with her,” Shea said. “They basically just hope that they kind of kept her in control, but they weren’t ever able to shut her down.”

While the Cavaliers carried an arsenal of capable shooters, many of them were hampered by injuries. Without them, Greene shouldered more onto her already burdened back. But despite the load, the senior midfielder never tired, hardly ever even leaving the field. She used two-man isolations to aid her, but mostly, keeping faith in those around her covering whatever her strategies didn’t. Greene tallied some of her best games in that time, five goals against Mercy and Maryvale, for instance, and four against St. Mary’s.

“Everyone on that field made the team for a reason. Trusting each other and playing off each other I think helped a lot,” she said.

Perfection eluded her at times. Greene winced with each mistake – she was too good to let that happen. But, just as it was important for her to score, dodge, defend, it was as essential that she let each of her mistakes go immediately.

“I try a lot not to overthink it. You have to get out of your head and realize you can’t let it stop you,” she said. “Your teammates are counting on you. Everyone is counting on you.”

Flaws in several games stick in Greene’s mind. Even in the first half of their senior night contest against Severna Park, Greene’s three goals and defensive efforts weren’t enough to quell the Falcons.

Someone told Greene, “We might lose.” The senior snapped to action.

“’No, we’re not,’” Greene recalled replying. “’We’re not gonna lose, no one on the field has this mentality.’”

Greene stuck five goals against John Carroll in an IAAM A quarterfinal, including a necessary strike late in the fourth quarter to keep a two-goal distance from the Patriots. But in the next round at McDonogh, her three goals was half of a doomed team effort by the Cavaliers.

That loss didn’t diminish her talent in her opponent’s mind.

“Gabby is a unique combination of power and finesse,” McDonogh coach Megan Nicotra said. “She is able to break down defenses and get to the goal, and plays with confidence and determination, making her a force to be reckoned with on the field.”

The loss still troubled Greene, just as all her little mistakes did: Was there more she could have done, another angle she could’ve taken?

But just like all those fleeting errors, Greene let the final loss go.

“We did get past our goal. Even though it’s heartbreaking to lose, I’m proud of everyone for getting over our quarterfinal hurdle,” Greene said. “We were all sad at first, but to look back after a week, you kind of realize that we did take a step forward.”

Coach of the Year

Annie Houghton, Severna Park

Houghton spearheaded the Falcons’ domination against the county and state, defeating not only Dulaney to capture their second-straight Class 3A title, but counting each of the other classifications’ victors as their victims as well: 4A champion Broadneck, twice by scores of 11-10 (OT) and 13-9, 2A champion Glenelg, 14-9, and 1A champion Fallston, 17-5. The county champions’ only loss was to Spalding on April 19, a game in which the Cavaliers needed to rally.

“All were tough opponents and great wins for our team,” Houghton said. “It just speaks volumes to our team and the tough opponents they played and won.”

She said as well: “We dominated this season because every player gave 100% effort and stuck to our game with each opponent that we played. The girls were disciplined and that was a huge factor to our success. These girls just aren’t teammates, they are friends and they bonded both on and off of the field.”

Severna Park (19-1) faced a significant hurdle when its leading scorer and reigning Player of the Year Alyssa Gore-Chung suffered a season-ending injury in mid-April, but the remaining talented players persevered, winning every game after (except Spalding), often by hefty margins.

“The two words that come to mind when I think of this team are unselfish and humble. They truly were each other’s biggest cheerleaders and celebrated one another’s successes,” Houghton said. “They all empowered their teammates to perform at their best at every practice and game. Their humility allowed them to still seek improvement, even after a win, and they were receptive to feedback from coaches and others players on the team. This is what made them great and an absolute honor to coach.”

All-County first team

Annabella Burke, South River, junior, attack 

The Christopher Newport commit netted 32 goals and 17 assists, including two goals against Severna Park on May 2.

Sydney DeMaio, St. Mary’s, sophomore, attack 

The Saints’ leading scorer netted 34 goals and 33 assists, good for 67 points (ranked seventh in the IAAM) and tallied a team-fifth 18 ground balls as well. The squad “quarterback,” per her coach Tom DeMaio, had seven hat tricks and five points or more in eight games.

Issy Leech, Severn, senior, attack

The Louisville commit led the Admirals with 31 goals and 11 assists for 42 points, while also registering 12 ground balls, 11 draw controls and four caused turnovers.

Sienna Miller, Broadneck, junior, attack

The balanced force compiled 50 goals and 28 assists for a county-high 78 points as well as 16 caused turnovers.

“Sienna’s high game IQ coupled with her speed and aggressiveness, both to the cage and in the redefend game, allow her to be one of most impactful players,” Kelley said.

Emmie Mudd, Southern, senior, attack

Southern does not reach the Class 1A final without its dogged Mount St. Mary’s commit, who led the Bulldogs with 51 goals and 10 assists for 61 points.

Olivia Orso, Broadneck, senior, attack

The “instrumental scorer” per coach Katy Kelley, the Ohio State-bound lefty lashed 42 goals and 21 assists despite typically getting marked by opponents’ top defenders.

“Her ability to create space between her and her defender and find the cage with her powerful shot has allowed her to be among our top goal scorers for three years straight,” Kelley said. “She is tenacious in the redefend, putting high pressure on other teams transition players.”

Maria Bragg, Severna Park sophomore midfielder 

The ferocious scorer tied for Severna Park’s team-lead with 72 points, divided by a team-second 49 goals and team-third 23 assists. She also amassed 20 caused turnovers and 19 ground balls.

Kylie Corcoran, Crofton, senior, midfielder

With 61 goals, 171 draw controls, 19 caused turnovers and seven assists, the Fairfield field hockey commit dominated all those categories for Crofton, with some of her best games coming against the best opponents: six goals, 19 draws against South River, for instance, and three goals, three ground balls and four caused turnovers against Severna Park.

Erin Hussey, Severna Park, junior, midfielder 

The Delaware commit led Severna Park with 58 goals and 14 assists. She also shattered the Falcons’ previous single-season draw control record of 94 (2015) with 112 this spring, as well as recording team-high 27 caused turnovers and 32 ground balls.

Adella Norton, South River, junior, midfielder

In her penultimate season, the Division I Campbell University commit racked up 24 goals, 17 assists and 65 draw controls for the Seahawks.

Lily Trout, Broadneck, senior, midfielder 

High Point-bound Trout finished one goal shy of owning Broadneck’s single-season scoring record outright with 66 total, alongside seven assists ad 65 draw controls.

“Her finishing ability, filled with finesse, only strengthens her goal scoring ability,” Kelley said. “Lily filled a void of losing a three-year starting midfield [trio] with grace and determination.”

Ryn Feemster, Severna Park, senior, defender 

The Virginia Commonwealth-bound captain anchored her squad with 21 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, with game-highs coming against teams like Dulaney, Marriotts Ridge, Spalding and South River.

Clare McGuire, Spalding, senior, defender

The Florida Institute of Technology signee protected her Cavaliers from draw circle to the defensive end, amassing not only 61 controls but also causing 12 turnovers.

Avery Saviano, Severna Park, junior, defender

One of the Yale commit’s top performances occurred in the victorious 3A state final with two caused turnovers and two ground balls, capping off her 18 caused turnovers and 20 ground balls for the spring.

Nya Williams, Broadneck, sophomore, defender 

The Bruins tasked Williams with marking the best opposing player with great success, establishing her as one of the best 1-v-1 defenders in Anne Arundel.

“With her sound footwork, competitive edge and innate athletic ability and [skill] in transition for us as one of the fastest players in the county, I trust her against any top attacker,” Kelley said.

Maddie Wrenn, Spalding, senior, defender 

Wrenn contributed on every inch of the turf, from 15 draw controls to 14 caused turnovers to 12 goals and two assists. One of her greatest accomplishments included keeping McDonogh’s North Carolina-bound star Kate Levy scoreless.

Molly Robison, Broadneck, freshman, goalkeeper 

The first-year set a sky-high bar for herself by piling up 176 saves and allowing 111 goals against.

“She has great composure for a freshman, was huge for us in the state final game, and is instinctive and confident in the clearing game,” Kelley said, “while also being able to cause turnovers.”

All-County second team

Alyssa Gore-Chung Severna Park senior attack

Brooklynn Ricker, Annapolis junior attack

Carly Mathieu, Crofton junior attack

Ella Jane Ostrowski, Spalding sophomore attack

Sara Kreis, Severna Park senior attack

Amelia Skinner, Annapolis senior midfielder

Anna Ervin, St. Mary’s junior midfielder

Chloe Wiese, St. Mary’s junior midfielder

Francesca Dunoyer, Severna Park senior midfielder

Kelsie Payne, Chesapeake senior midfielder

Lilly Patrick, Chesapeake junior midfielder

Maeve Cavanaugh, Spalding junior midfielder

Skylar Sensenbrenner, AACS junior midfielder

Kam Lee, South River senior defender

Molly Durkin, Southern junior defender

Elia Alewine, Indian Creek senior goalkeeper

Honorable mention

AACS: CJ Summa, senior midfielder. Archbishop Spalding: Lily Mullen, senior attack; Ella Davis, sophomore goalkeeper. Broadneck: Nora Lopes, sophomore midfielder/attack. Chesapeake: Lexi Vosburg, freshman attack; Anna Kunes, sophomore attack, Austin McFarland, sophomore midfielder. Crofton: Jo Kocan, sophomore attack; Lyla Poknis, junior midfielder. North County: Maggie Blanford, junior midfielder. Northeast: Aleigha Dubroc, junior midfielder; Severn: Suzy Urban, sophomore midfielder; Dylan Ulehla, senior defender. Southern: Mollie Schiavone, freshman midfielder; Abby Wallis, senior goalkeeper.