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He had just clinched an 8-7 victory Wednesday over Damascus with a late defensive play, but the Lynchburg (Va.) College commit was in a mood far from celebratory. In contrast to the lighting-quick spring season, one game seemed like a marathon, not a sprint.

"I started cramping up at halftime; my legs are done," said Hower, who logged a goal and an assist. "But we got the win."

It was supposed to come easier for the Cougars, who proved a legitimate state playoff contender in their season-opening loss to Class 4A power Urbana. The Hawks punished Quince Orchard by 10 goals in the regional final last spring, but trailed by three goals in their March 23 matchup before eventually pulling out an 11-9 victory.

Sixteen days of inaction since that game did not appear to give the Gaithersburg program any rust at first. Sean Holiday scored twice while Hower and junior Eric Simon each scored once in the first 11 minutes, earning the host a quick 4-0 lead.

It was far from over.

Swarmin' Hornets' goalie Erick McCoy was fantastic, logging 20 saves and keeping the Cougars off the scoreboard in the second quarter. Middie Danny Routh broke through with a goal late in the first quarter, and the first of three Paul Saulsbury goals pulled Damascus within one with five minutes left in the second.

McCoy's counterpart, Michael Chiang, recovered with four consecutive saves as his teammates stretched the lead back to four early in the second half.

"Both goalies played well; Michael especially kept us in that game," said Quince Orchard head coach Mike Kowalick. "But the kids not being together for so long took its toll. We lost our star attackman, so I was proud that the kids stepped up and held on."

The attackman, Simon, actually played for three quarters and 7 seconds before his exit. The county's 2009 top goal-scorer logged a pair for the game, giving him an even 100 in his third year at the school. But he was disqualified from the game after collecting two illegal stick penalties, the second described by Kowalick as "a mesh issue that was easily fixable. By rule, he shouldn't have been ejected."

Suddenly invigorated, the Hornets fought back valiantly in their season opener. Spectacular individual runs by Saulsbury brought their deficit back to one with just under 5 minutes remaining. But on the game's final possession, Hower scooped a ground ball and dodged several defenders before flinging it downfield to McCoy as time expired.

"It's Damascus versus QO, so it's big," said Chiang. "I know I could have done better, the offense could have run some better plays, but we're happy with the win."