Md. 2A boys’ soccer: Damascus beats Century for its first state title

BALTIMORE — The first real scoring opportunity of Thursday’s Maryland 2A boys’ soccer championship came about 10 minutes in, falling in the lap of Damascus forward Todd DiLeo.

The senior broke through Century’s back line and suddenly found himself one-on-one with the keeper. He steadied himself for a moment and then ripped a shot toward the top corner of the net. It sailed high. DiLeo put his hands to his temples, ruing an opportunity wasted.

He wouldn’t let it happen again. DiLeo’s two goals, one in the first half and another in the second, helped fuel the Hornets to a 3-1 win over the Knights at Loyola University. It marks the first state title in program history.

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“I learned early on that putting your head down after a miss is not going to help you impact the game,” DiLeo said. “You keep going forward. You keep going for chances. That’s exactly what my teammates told me to do and that gave me confidence.”

DiLeo’s first goal stemmed from a quick and momentous footrace midway through the first half. Damascus sent a cross into the box and DiLeo charged toward it, side-by-side with the Century goalkeeper. He won that battle by a step, poking the ball away from the keeper and into open space. An off-balance DiLeo put his foot on the ball and watched it trickle across the goal mouth, hit the far post and then roll in. This time, he spread his arms wide in celebration.

His second score came in the 52nd minute, a timely header off a corner kick. Teammate Erik Rodriguez upped the score to 3-0 a few minutes later, giving the Hornets a comfortable lead for their defense to protect.

“This feels like it’s not real,” sophomore goalkeeper Ty Washington said. “I wasn’t expecting to play in a state championship in my second year. But once I did, I wanted to give my all and protect that lead.”

Damascus (16-2-0) emerged from a relentless Montgomery County schedule with just two losses, to Northwest and Walter Johnson. The Hornets avenged one of those losses in the county championship game, where they pounded Northwest, 6-0. They carried that momentum into the state bracket, where they pushed past opponents from Howard, Baltimore and Harford counties.

“The preparation we got coming out of Montgomery County was fabulous,” first-year coach Steve Pfeil said. “It’s true that if you can make it out of Montgomery County, you can go far.”

In Century (11-6-1), the Hornets encountered a gritty championship opponent. The Carroll County program played a physical game and was able to create a few high-quality scoring opportunities. More than once, Washington had to come up with a save from close range.

“We walked out of school today to come to the game and there was hundreds of people all clapping for us,” DiLeo said. “Bringing this trophy back to them, it’s going to be the best feeling in the world.”