As we head into the final days of October, bearing witness to the final throes of autumn and days of temperate weather, 2 teams' seasons have already ended. The first delivered a plaque that rests upon Mr. Diven's "mantle" in the PAC lobby. The other finished without a victory.
Lest that come across as too somber an introduction to the week's news, let it be known that the girls' soccer team rose to the occasion and managed to put forth a superlative effort while laying to rest their difficult season. Following Monday's loss to the conference's number 2 squad, Bryn Mawr, the girls hoped to secure a rematch by upsetting 7 seed Chapelgate in Friday's preliminary round of the league's playoffs. Without a win to their credit, the girls remained confident in their abilities and motivated towards finally exhibiting them prior to the elimination game. Lead by their seniors, they expected to play well. And they did. With nearly the entire team healthy, a starting 11 envisioned during the preseason to be one of the team's best suited up together for the first time in countless weeks (perhaps all season). The Bruins struck first and pushed the Yellowjackets to overtime before succumbing 1-2. If nothing else, the girls proved to themselves that they've got some skillz, while offering us a glimpse of the desire that will lead next year's group to higher tangible successes in a new conference.
WSC: Season Ended
As has been mentioned in previous editions, the girls' tennis team has toiled away in relative obscurity, playing home matches far from the watchful eyes of the typical sports fan roaming the corridors of the Old Court campus. The daily bus rides to practice, the sparse crowds, and the relative anonimity among their peers... some part of it clicked with these girls. And it did so right from the start. The Bruins finished 10-1 in the B-Conference, trailing only undefeated powerhouse McDonogh in the final team standings. The effort earned the team a runner-up plaque proudly displayed on Mr. Diven's "mantle" in the PAC. All that remained were the individual finals, played Tuesday through Thursday of last week. On day 1, the girls wavered ever so slightly, suffering a loss at the #1 singles position. Everyone else advanced. Of note was the #1 doubles match, pitting senior captains Sophia Macht and Jenn Swirnow against rivals from Friends. That one competition lasted 3 hours and saw 2 tiebreakers, ending 6-7 6-2 7-6 (13-11) in favor of the 2 Bruins, exhibiting the grit and drive that epitomized the team's season. Wednesday panned out to be a replay of the Park-Spalding dual (duel?) in late September. All 4 remaining Park entries faced Cavalier opponents. Park's #2 singles and #1 doubles fell short, each by the score of 6-7 3-6. The numbers 2 and 3 doubles teams played on. Unfortunately, the finals would be swept by McDonogh's junior pros. The outstanding Bruins, freshmen Liz Kuntz and Ashley Suan and junior-senior combo, Chloe Shiras and Carly Basner, each fought unsuccessfully through 2 sets, finishing in second place. What a season. What a tournament. Congratulations girls!
WTN: Season Ended
With losses last week to John Carroll (0-1), Maryvale (0-2) and Glenelg (0-3), field hockey finished their regular season schedule with a record of 2-9-1, not quite what they'd hoped, but enough to earn a 6th place slot in the 8 team B-Conference standings. Furthermore, the seed (not decided until the final day of play) places the girls in a unique position. You see, they'll play the very same Glenelg Dragons team they battled last Wednesday. Will the extra preparation help or hinder their cause (Glenelg has the same advantage, remember?) remains to be seen. Park travels to Ellicott City Tuesday in the first of this week's playoff GAMES OF THE WEEK. Go get 'em Bruins!
FH: 10/27 @ IAAM Prelim/Quarters
The boys' cross country runners had a banner week, beating Mt. St. Joe's here on Wednesday and following it up with several victories (albeit over B-Conference teams) in St. Paul's Invitational on Friday. All that remains is one last trip to John Carroll on Tuesday. Then it's off to Oregon Ridge for the final challenge, both internal and external, as the crew faces the best of the best in the MIAA Final scheduled next Thursday.
MCC: 10/27 @ JC
Boys' soccer continues to defy uniformity, sailing up and down their chosen roller coaster track to the playoffs. The Bruins escaped with a 1-0 victory at (now) 3-9-1 Severn, coasted uncomfortably to a 3-2 win against BL (completing the season sweep of the Lakers!) and, with second place locked up, never really took the field in a 0-2 loss at front-runner St. Paul's. While the boys' playoff position may have been effectively sealed, what momentum they retained entering last week seems to have sifted through their hands like so many grains of sand. The slide persisted into this week as the lads tied St. Mary's (3-9) without a goal. It's as if the boys feel they can simply flip the switch as we head into the playoffs. Let's hope they can find it in the dark. In our second GAME OF THE WEEK, Park will take on none other than the Friends School Quakers this Friday in an MIAA Quarterfinal match on Kelly Field. The start is an early one at 3:15 so get out there early. The boys may require a boisterous wake up call from the sidelines!
MSC: 10/30 v MIAA Quarterfinals
The somewhat unexpectedly fleet-footed girls' cross country team took the week off to prep for our final GAME OF THE WEEK, Wednesday's IAAM Championship Meet at Oregon Ridge. The ladies finished the year 8-7, impressive enough for eighth place among the 17 team B-Conference. Middle-of-the-pack, as joyful a surprise as it may be coming from a group whose majority were "walk-ons" of a sort in that they hadn't participated in earnest prior to this year, may not satisfy these competitors. Striving to better their own times if not knock off more experienced athletes, the Bruins intend to put on a show, smiling all the while. Good luck!
No Meets
WCC: 10/27 @ IAAM Finals
Stay tuned for more playoff news as well as All-Conference selections and other awards!
GO BRUINS!
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