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As the Surrattsville High School boys' soccer team chased down coach Richard Hensel following a 4-0 season-ending loss to Pikesville, the Hornets' players forgot about the frigid temperature for a moment and joyously emptied a water cooler on their coach to celebrate the end to the program's most successful season in recent memory.

Pikesville dominated play in its 1A South Region semifinal at upstart Surrattsville on Friday from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. Although a gutsy performance from the Hornets – who field a roster of only 13 players – kept the game close, at 2-0, until the final 10 minutes, Pikesville added two late goals to emerge with a convincing margin of victory and a spot in the regional final.

"The score did not reflect the game," said Hensel, whose team finished the season 8-4-1 two seasons after going winless. "Those guys we played today knew they were playing Surrattsville. They aren't walking away all proud knowing they killed a team. They're walking away respecting Surrattsville for playing a tough game."

Pikesville kept the pressure on the Hornets' back line throughout the first half, peppering Surrattsville goalkeeper Stephan Pennix with several dangerous balls into the penalty area and a series of long-range shots. Surrattsville, meanwhile, struggled to cross midfield and did not register a single shot during the opening 40 minutes.

The Panthers took a deserved lead in the 18th minute. Center back Daniel Weisbaum's long throw-in found the head of fellow defender Alfonzo Timmons, whose header landed at the feet of striker Kevin Saval. The junior acted quickly, tapping the ball home before Pennix could react.

Just as it looked like Surrattsville was going to enter halftime with only a one-goal deficit, Pikesville delivered a crushing blow two minutes before the break. Saval fired a shot off the crossbar, and front line partner Ethan Thompson nodded the ricochet into an empty goal as Pennix watched, hopelessly out-of-position after trying to save Saval's initial effort.

The Hornets' best opportunity came in the 47th minute. Pikesville goalkeeper Eugene Ismailov inadvertently stepped out of the penalty area while still holding the ball, giving Surrattsville a free kick from 18 yards out. But forward Abdul Mamoud's subsequent shot sailed well over the goal, prompting Mamoud and Hensel to get into a heated shouting match before the ball went back into play.

In the 71st minute, Surrattsville forward Oleg Prokopenko's 25-yard drive slipped beneath Pennix to put the Panthers ahead 3-0. Pikesville got its last goal three minutes later when midfielder Scott Weisman's free kick slipped through Pennix's hands and into the net.

Walking off the field at match's end six minutes later, Mamoud kept the big picture in perspective. Holding his head high, he proudly smiled and declared to his Surrattsville teammates, "At least we made it this far."