She'll tell her family about how she raced after a long pass and took a dribble, only to lose the ball behind her. She'll remember her presence of mind not to panic as she turned, collected the ball and fired a shot from the left side of the circle. And then she'll discuss the shock and joy of watching the ball slam into the back of the cage just inside the far post, before she was mobbed by her Springbrook teammates.

Klass' shot became the winning goal in overtime of Springbrook's 3-2 victory against Quince Orchard in an all-Montgomery County matchup in the 4A state championship game on Saturday evening. The victory was Springbrook's first state title.

"I was so excited," said Klass, Springbrook's senior forward whose shaky voice and wide-eyed grin indicated that she was still stunned by what she had done. "We worked so hard this whole season and that just topped it off. It was amazing."

Klass' goal with 5 minutes, 33 seconds left in overtime ended a back-and-forth game in which both teams led in regulation. Unlike in their regular season contest, which the Blue Devils won, 3-0, the teams were evenly matched for the most part. The closer score signified the Cougars' (13-4) improvement throughout the season, as they went from rebuilding to the state finals. 

But they weren't the state champions because Springbrook (14-2) was just a little better. The Blue Devils, with a lineup composed primarily of seniors, knew this would be their best chance for a state title, and pushed forward at every tough moment. From a regional semifinal rematch against Whitman to a tough regional final against Wootton and an emotional state semifinal game against powerful South River, the Blue Devils always persevered behind an explosive offense and strong goalkeeping by Emily Richards.

On Saturday, the Blue Devils fell behind midway through the first half when senior forward Molly Rosenberg scored with 16:04 left in the period on a mistake by Richards. A QO player had driven the ball from outside the circle and Richards decided to let it go into the goal, which would have resulted in a 15-yard hit for Springbrook, since players can't score from outside of the circle.

Springbrook had been burned by a similar decision in their semifinal victory against South River, when the referee determined that a player had deflected the shot in the circle, and the Blue Devils were hurt a different way this time. The shot hit off the post, surprising the stationary Springbrook defense, and Rosenberg pounced on the rebound to produce the first goal.

Springbrook answered late in the half, when senior defender Allison Kessler sent a free position hit into the circle and senior midfielder Kajee Murangi one-timed it into the goal from 10 yards away. The score remained tied at 1 until late in the second half when the action intensified.

In a physical matchup, two Quince Orchard players were carded in a brief span, giving Springbrook a two-girl advantage for a short period of time. The Blue Devils took advantage.

With 7:06 to play in regulation, Springbrook took the lead. Off a penalty corner, Murangi sent a shot on goal. After a brief scramble in front of the net, Jada Richardson jammed the ball through freshman goalie Kelsey Flickenger for a 2-1 lead.

There was an extra bounce to the Blue Devils' celebration, as they appeared to assume that they had just secured the state title. Instead, QO showed resiliency. Still down a player, the Cougars pushed the ball into Springbrook's circle, where junior midfielder Caitlyn Kennedy fired a hard slap-shot that deflected off a defender's stick and into the cage with 4:57 left. Just like that, the game was tied at 2.

"That was extremely impressive," QO coach Jenna Siegel said of the shorthanded goal. "I'm sorry that [the cards] happened to us, because Springbrook's a physical team and I told the kids not to retaliate and hopefully the cards would go in the other direction and I guess we got frustrated. We're young; young and frustrated."

And so the teams went to overtime, a 7-on-7 format that was even more wide open than usual because of the fast artificial turf surface. The Blue Devils found the tempo to their liking when they created the fast break that allowed Richardson to find Klass streaking toward the goal, uncovered.

"We said to them, `this exactly the way we want it,'" Springbrook coach Kearney Francis said. "It's our best seven against their best seven; bring it on." 

Her goal was the final piece in the process of building a program, a development that followed the path of the seniors' careers. QO, which started six underclassmen including the freshman Flickenger in goal, could well follow the same course next year. But Saturday was Springbrook's night.

"Nobody knew at the beginning of the season that we could do it except us," Francis said. "I think a team like this comes along once every 15 years and I was fortunate enough to be here when they arrived."
 

4A STATE FINAL:

Saturday at University of Maryland

QUINCE ORCHARD1 1 0 - 2

SPRINGBROOK1 1 1- 3

Goals - QO: Molly Rosenberg, Caitlyn Kennedy. SB: Kajee Murangi, Jada Richardson, Katie Klass.

Assists: SB: Allison Kessler, Murangi, Richardson.

Saves: QO: Kelsey Flickenger 5. SB: Emily Richards 4.

Penalty Corners: QO: 5. SB: 4.

Shots: QO: 8. SB: 11.

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