Havre de Grace girls soccer wins first 1A state title with nail-biting 1-0 victory over Perryville: 'Today, we proved it'

Nov. 18—When Lea Cataggio took the job as Havre de Grace's girls soccer coach, and subsequently recruited her former Warriors coach Tara Phillips to join the staff, their mission in Year 1 was plainly two-folded: get the girls in shape and to build their self-confidence after a 4-9 disheartening 2022 season.

Even a chance to tread the turf of Loyola Maryland's Ridley Athletic Complex for the Class 1A state final against Perryville, the mountaintop steps away, could have designated that mission a success.

But it wouldn't satisfy what they had built: seemingly a new-look team since the last of a five-game skid against the same Panthers team in mid-September.

That loss left the Warriors looking themselves in the mirror. Saturday's 1-0 win had them hoisting the championship trophy — the program's first in school history.

"It's not me, I just had to make them believe," Cataggio said, a sticking point for the Warriors' season. "A win is a win. It doesn't matter if it's ugly or not. And it really was personal. They beat us in the season and I believe we were a better team then. Today, we proved it. We're number one in the state."

Slugfest isn't the right word for how this game unfolded. More like a battle of attrition, both sides fighting for any inch, neither conceding. It wasn't until 9:43 left in the first half that Perryville was awarded the game's first corner kick. The first shot on goal came just before halftime.

Then came life for the Warriors, midway through the second half.

Kendall Zimmerman snuck a through pass between a pair of breaking Perryville defenders. It was a mad scramble to the ball — Sophie Molyneux chasing in the open field and Panthers goalkeeper Sarah Cantrell closing in from the opposite direction.

Molyneux's foot won by a hair. An ever so slight tap past Cantrell seemed to roll forever before breaking a scoreless tie into the goal's left corner.

"[It felt like it took] a while," Molyneux said. "All I remember is just looking at it waiting for it to go in then I heard a bunch of cheers."

The sophomore midfielder was the more narrow timely hero last week to advance the Warriors past Mardela — then from a corner. And again, she stepped up when the lights shined brightest with Havre de Grace's decisive goal in the state final.

"When I saw Kendall take control, I know she can put the ball anywhere," Cataggio said. "She stepped, won that ball and carried it up the middle. Sophie's hungry. Every practice it hits the crossbar but when it matters, she puts it in. ... This time she got the tip of her toe and a nice little turf burn on her knee.

"She just made history for our school."

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Varsity Highlights

Every ounce of emotion that poured out made the three months of hard work worth it. As did the Warriors dumping water on their coach.

Cataggio and Phillips stormed the field just as fast as she had made her team run at the start of the season to get in shape. "My whole body went limp when I ran out there," Cataggio said. "Someone sent a picture and I'm on the ground. ... It felt like I was playing with the adrenaline going. Everyone was all in."

Players share elongated hugs. Goalkeeper Cassidy Howes dropped to her knees amid the swarming celebration, soaking in the moment of her final high school outing.

The confidence to get this far that the pair of coaches injected since August? Howes is the on-field liaison for that. She brings every ounce of energy from between the pipes.

"At the beginning of every game, she's very serious," Molyneux said of the senior keeper. "You know she wants to win. She brings us all together. Just makes it about business and brings us together every single week."

And when Havre de Grace lined up to receive their medals, Howes ripped off her cleats to flash her lucky socks. The ones that perhaps played at least a small part in how dominant she has been this postseason, surrendering one goal in five games.

Cataggio couldn't get through more than a few sentences fielding postgame questions without her ringtone interrupting from congratulatory messages, indicative of how monumental the achievement was for her, for her team and for Havre de Grace.