In recent years, Severna Park has had few issues handling most of the opponents on its schedule. But the D.C. area’s lone undefeated girls’ soccer team was pushed to the brink in its final game of the fall.
The Falcons, who had trailed for only 30 minutes all season, went behind early and surrendered a two-goal lead late in the Maryland Class 3A final. But they conjured up a dramatic golden goal to seal a 4-3 double overtime victory over Oakdale and their third straight title.
The win helped Severna Park earn the top spot in these final rankings for the second time in three years, following another undefeated championship season in 2023.
“It was very surreal, and when the final whistle blew it was just different, because it’s a different circumstance, like I know I’m not gonna be able to come back to it and that’s very bittersweet,” senior Emerson Scott said. “But having that icing on the cake — it’s just something you can never simulate any other year.”
The Falcons may have closed out their three-peat with a dramatic victory but they have largely dominated opposition over the last three seasons. The Falcons went a combined 52-1 and outscored opponents 193-17.
The Anne Arundel County school is the first to three-peat as Class 3A girls’ soccer champions since River Hill did it in 2014. The Falcons went two decades between titles in 2003 and 2023 but have now raised their total to nine.
Severna Park’s most recent campaign saw the team grow from the D.C. area’s elite to one of the best in the country this season, earning it a spot at No. 19 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national rankings.
“I’ve been here six years now and we had a really strong team the first year, but then it took us a little bit of time to kind of build into what we wanted,” Coach Rick Stimpson said. “It’s no surprise the success we’ve had over the last few years is correspondent to the time [the seniors] have been in the program. They’ve been great leaders and great teammates and really helped establish the culture.”
The Falcons are followed in our final rankings by a number of teams who also took home hardware.
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions St. John’s and D.C. State Athletic Association winners Sidwell Friends joined the top five while Potomac School and Bishop O’Connell maintained their spots among the area’s best with Independent School League AA division and Northern Virginia Independent Schools tournament titles, respectively.
Mount Hebron slots in at No. 6 after winning the program’s second state title in five years while Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Good Counsel, Leonardtown and Paul VI round out the fall’s final top 10.
1. Severna Park (17-0)
The Falcons topped Frederick County’s Oakdale in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 double overtime win to claim their third consecutive Maryland Class 3A title. Last ranked: 2
2. St. John’s (14-4-1)
A young Cadets team soared to the program’s first WCAC tournament title since 2022 thanks to a 2-1 win against Good Counsel in the final. LR: 7
3. Bishop O’Connell (14-2-1)
The Knights fell in the WCAC semifinals to eventual champion St. John’s but claimed their second consecutive NVIS title. LR: 1
4. Potomac School (11-6-2)
The Panthers became the first team to win four consecutive ISL AA tournament titles with a 4-0 win over No. 5 Sidwell Friends in the final. LR: 4
5. Sidwell Friends (13-4-1)
The Quakers bounced back from a defeat in the ISL bracket to claim their third DCSAA title. LR: Not ranked
6. Mount Hebron (12-2-2)
The Vikings came out of a very competitive Howard County to win the Maryland Class 2A title in a penalty kick shootout against Carroll County power Century. LR: NR
7. Bethesda-Chevy Chase (12-3-2)
The Barons made their first state title game appearance since 2012 but came up just short of a championship in a 3-2 overtime loss to Perry Hall. LR: NR
8. Good Counsel (12-3-4)
An experienced Falcons team fell just short of a WCAC tournament title with a 2-1 loss to St. John’s in the final. LR: 6
9. Leonardtown (13-3)
The Raiders’ season ended in a penalty kick shootout loss to eventual state champion Perry Hall in the Maryland Class 4A semifinals. LR: 3
10. Paul VI (9-5-3)
The Panthers earned ranked wins over St. John’s, Potomac School and Sidwell Friends this season but fell to Good Counsel in the WCAC tournament semifinals. LR: 5
Dropped out: No. 8 River Hill, No. 9 Archbishop Spalding, No. 10 Blair
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