The MPSSAA 2009 State Soccer Championships have come to a rousing finish with eight schools claiming hard-fought wins for top honors in the state for their respective classifications. On the boys' side Clarksburg, Whitman, Loch Raven, and Marriotts Ridge won titles while on the girl's side Tuscarora, B-CC, Loch Raven, and Fallston were champs.
This year's theme for the boys was a little something old and a little something new. The something old, by comparison, in Class 4A it was Whitman defeating a talented Urbana squad 1-0 in overtime for their 8th state title and first since 2000. The Class 1A Loch Raven boys combined something old and new by defeating an always tough Pocomoke team 3-2 in overtime for the school's 4th crown, but first since 1977. The something new was in the Class 2A with Marriotts Ridge hard fought 1-0 win over Fallston in another overtime thriller for the school's inaugural boys state soccer championship. Joining Marriotts Ridge with a first ever boys state soccer trophy was Class 3A Clarksburg of Montgomery County by virtue of their 3-0 win over Hereford.
On the girls side of the tournament, one goal was the difference in every final game between first and second place. Loch Raven girls bested Harford Technical 1-0 in Class 1A for their program's 6th state championship. Bethesda-Chevy Chase posted back-to-back state titles, and their 4th overall, with a determined 2-1 win in double overtime against Urbana. The Class 3A final pitted Tuscarora against Reservoir with Tuscarora prevailing 3-2 for their 3rd ever state girls soccer championship. In Class 2A, the Fallston girls had to go the distance against Winters Mill in penalty kicks before garnering their third state crown and first since 1996 by a score of 2-1.
The MPSSAA appreciates the efforts of the Boys and Girls State Soccer Committees in putting this tournament together from the first round of the region tournaments to the Finals. A special thank you to the staff at UMBC for the use of Retriever Stadium over the three days of the tournament. We could not have a successful event without their cooperation and assistance. Congratulations also to all of the officials, coaches, and teams that participated in this year's tournament for the exciting play put on display for all of the spectators to appreciate and enjoy. Next year's tournament promises to be even better and we hope to see everyone there again!