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With a first-year coach and only four seniors, the Bowie High School girls' soccer team could have been content with its season-ending loss in the Maryland 4A state semifinals on Friday.

Following the painful 1-0 loss to Bethesda-Chevy Chase at Richard Montgomery High School, however, an unsatisfied coach Aaron Hankey said his team let an opportunity to do something special slip away.

While Bethesda-Chevy Chase controlled the game with organized midfield play, the Bowie back line largely held the Barons' strikers in check. But Bowie goalkeeper Nikki Jenkins let a first-half goal slip through her hands, and the Bulldogs were eliminated one game shy of the state title match for the second year in a row.

"I'd say we fell a little short," Hankey said. "We had an unfortunate mishap in goal, but it shouldn't have even come down to that. We should have had those goals in on the chances we had."

Striker Owyn Manson scored the game's only goal when she redirected a corner kick toward Jenkins in the game's 22nd minute. The sophomore goalkeeper, who had only conceded six goals all season, bobbled the shot before letting it fall over the goal line.

Playing on the widest field they had been on all season, the Bulldogs struggled to cover ground defensively. Enjoying the better of possession for long stretches, Bethesda-Chevy Chase spent much of the second half knocking the ball around in Bowie's defensive third.

"It definitely made a difference," Hankey said of the wider pitch. "A lot of the fields we play on aren't regulation. But overall, we just needed better marking."

Although Bowie's midfielders often looked to 31-goal scorer Maddie Simms when they did get opportunities, many balls rolled long on the fast, rain-soaked turf and ended up in the hands of Barons' goalkeeper Sasha Konownitzine.

The 4A South champions' best chance to tie came on a free kick in the 66th minute. Midfielder Kristi Hepner drove a high shot on target from the edge of the penalty area, but Konownitzine punched the ball clear.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase dropped players back into a more defensive-minded 4-5-1 formation late in the game – an adjustment that stifled several Bowie counter-attacking chances. The Barons killed the final two minutes by holding the ball in Bowie's end. With time expiring, the Bulldogs' frustration became evident as defender Erika Monroe picked up a yellow card for a reckless slide tackle.

"It's just sad because we worked really hard to get here, and we just lose 1-0 on a bad corner we should have saved," said freshman midfielder Alison Ryan.