CATONSVILLE -- There has been one constant for Severna Park lacrosse through three coaches, three offenses and three defenses.

Talent!

Amidst all the change and controversy that has surrounded the program the past five seasons, the Falcons have always managed to win. Proof comes in the form of four state championship game appearances since 2000.

Severna Park has been steadily knocking on the door, and finally had its championship hopes answered yesterday at UMBC Stadium.

Sophomore attackman Frank Taglienti scored three goals and assisted two others to lead Severna Park past Westminster 13-11 in a closer-than-expected Class 4A-3A state final.

Junior attackman Ben Hunt also scored three goals for the Falcons, who captured their second state title since the current format was instituted.

It was a crowning moment that was much anticipated by Severna Park fans, who have watched four different teams fall in the finals. The Falcons lost to Dulaney in 2000 and 2002 under Coach Mike Bellotte and again in 2003 under Coach Brien McMurray.

Beardmore became the team's third coach in three seasons last summer and pushed the right buttons to get Severna Park over the hump.

"I am extremely pleased with the amount of progress these kids made," Beardmore said. "They are learning their third new offense, their third new defense, their third new coaching philosophy. I thought they adjusted to the changes we made and got better as the season went along. We clearly peaked at the right time."

Whoever said Saturday's semifinal between Severna Park and Dulaney was the true state championship certainly had never watched Westminster.

The unheralded yet unbeaten Owls proved more than worthy of a spot in the final, matching the favored Falcons goal-for-goal in the first half.

"We had to beat a quality ballclub today. Westminster has a strong program and a coach that's been there 20-some years. They were freaking undefeated for goodness sakes," Beardmore said.

Perhaps most surprising was the way Westminster beat Severna Park downfield, doing most of its scoring in transition en route to entering halftime only down 7-6.

"We came out a little flat, really sloppy," Hunt said. "We forced things too much and gave up a lot of fastbreak goals."

Beardmore made some sound adjustments at halftime and also lit a fire under his team.

"Coach got really mad in the locker room and told us we weren't playing our game," Hunt said. "The key to our success is being unselfish. I thought we came out in the second half and showed more patience... played better team offense."

Taglienti carried Severna Park in the first half with all three of his goals and an assist. He stands just 5-foot-5 and has the face of someone much younger than 16, but performed like a steady veteran early on.

"I've heard it all - short stack, Mini Me, you name it," Taglienti said. "It doesn't matter how old you are or how big you are, this is the state finals and you have to go hard all the time. I'm not real big, but I like to think I've got a huge heart and I don't give up."

Severna Park seized control of the game by outscoring Westminster 4-1 over a seven-minute stretch of the third quarter. Hunt got things started with a hard bounce shot from up top while defenseman Tommy Zichelli continued his scoring spree with an unassisted fastbreak goal.

Taglienti then fed midfielder Davey Joe Ruppert for a point-blank shot while middie Shane Coughlin concluded the run by driving in from behind for an unassisted goal.

"We made a decision to attack from behind in the second half. We inverted our middies a lot more," Beardmore said.

Lacrosse legend Clayton "Buddy" Beardmore is the top assistant for his son and also suggested a different clearing configuration during the halftime pow-wow.

"We changed our clear a bit and that helped immensely," Jimmy Beardmore said.

Senior attackman Andrew Lusby scored two goals and dished off two assists for Severna Park, which held four-goal leads of 11-7 late in the third quarter and 12-8 early in the fourth.

Westminster would not fold, however, outscoring Severna Park 3-1 during a short stretch of the fourth quarter to get within striking range. Star midfielder Matt Duke scored from close range off a feed from Alex Finch (three goals) to make it 13-11 with 4:14 to go.

The Owls gained possession twice in the final 1:50, but were unable to clear the ball either time and the Falcons then used a 30-second penalty to successfully run out the clock.

"I definitely think we underestimated this team. We didn't come out as hard as we should have," said Severna Park sophomore goalie Mike Gvozden, who was solid as usual with 11 saves. "Westminster was a lot better than we thought, but we spotted them a few goals by not getting in the hole to stop those fastbreaks."

There were many who thought Severna Park's state championship in 1999 would be the first of many, but instead there had only been those three disappointing runner-up finishes. So it was no surprise that the Falcons celebrated wildly after accepting the gold-embossed wooden plaque with the enscription: 2004 Class 4A-3A State Champions.

"It took a while for this program, but it sure does feel wonderful," Beardmore said. "You never know when you're going to get to this level, so you have to make the most of it. Our kids deserve this because they put in the hard work lifting weights and doing conditioning."

Senior attackman Mike Brown scored two goals and assisted two others for Westminster, which enjoyed the winningest season in program history.

"Dulaney and Severna Park field strong programs, but we didn't buy into the rhetoric about that being the best matchup," 23rd-year Westminster coach Jim Peters said. "Our kids played their hearts out today and showed that we also have a pretty good program."

Severna Park (16-4) 4 3 4 2 _13 Westminster (16-1) 4 2 2 3 _11GOALS: SP - Taglienti 3, Hunt 3, Lusby 2, Ruppert 2, Engler, Zichelli, Coughlin. W - A. Finch 3, Geiman 2, Johnson 2, Brown 2, Barnes, Duke. ASSISTS: SP - Lusby 2, Taglienti 2, Engler, Jahnigen. W - Brown 2, Mersinger, Barnes, K. Finch, Duke, A. Finch. SHOTS: SP - 34. W - 34. SAVES: SP - Gvozden 11. W - Collins 16. FACEOFFS: SP - 15. W - 12.

Published May 27, 2004, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2004 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.