From Staff Reports
HAGERSTOWN — Zach Wolodkin scored in the final minutes to lift Bishop Walsh to a 1-0 win over Avalon in the semifinals, but the Spartans fell to The Heights 6-0 in the championship game of the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament Sunday at the Hagerstown Soccer Complex.
Wolodkin’s goal, a header off of a cross by Matt Kelley, came with only 1:41 to play in the second half and gave the Spartans a thrilling victory and a spot in the final.
The Spartans led in shots, 21-13, and also in corner kicks, 5-2, in the win over Avalon. Brandon Kimble got the shutout, the Spartans’ 11th of the season, with eight goalie saves. Dan Kline had 11 for Avalon.
The Heights, of Potomac, advanced to the final by blanking St. Maria Goretti, 2-0.
In the championship game, The Heights grabbed the upper hand early by scoring four first-half goals. No scoring information was available because no team roster was provided to BW by The Heights.
The Heights led in shots 28-7 and both teams had two corner kicks. Kimble made 15 saves in the first half and Lucas Bruck had six saves in the second.
The Spartans finished the year with a 16-5 record and the Cumberland City and Bi-State League championships, running their streak of consecutive seasons with a league or area title to 27. The Spartans made the biggest turnaround of any team in the area as the 16 wins reflect a nine-game improvement from last year.
“We’re very proud of our kids. They had a great year, are City champs, and finished second in the state tournament,’’ said Bishop Walsh assistant coach Joe Rowan. “This team was basically the same team as last year except for two seniors that graduated. We went from the worst record ever at BW at 7-13 to 16-5, winning the City championship and beating two teams that were ranked No. 1 in the area during the season. We’re very happy with the season we had, and also happy that we’ll have 12 juniors coming back next year.”
