Broadneck Girls Serving Notice

The first 30 minutes of Broadneck’s girls soccer battle with Severna Park were as cagey as a rivalry game would predict: It felt like the first goal would be the decisive one.

Either Severna Park’s aura of inevitability would remain intact, or Broadneck would be buoyed by belief that they finally were again the Falcons’ equals.

A freshman, with no history with the rivalry, settled it.

Rory Terhune reacted first to an errant clearance, nodding the ball into an open net with 10 minutes left in the first half to put a strong wind in Broadneck’s sails. The goal settled the Bruins’ nerves and they stepped on the gas, eventually pulling away for a statement 4-0 victory.

“I was really excited because it’s my first real game (that counts in the standings),” said Terhune. “Header goals are one of the biggest things that can change the momentum of the game so I always try to get on the end of it, especially in a game like this.”

Shortly before the opener, older sister Cameron Terhune kept the game scoreless by denying Severna Park on three straight breaks, on the way to the junior goalkeeper’s third clean sheet of the season.

Broadneck kept building pressure in the second half, and the dam broke when senior Mia Orso, who returned to Broadneck from McDonogh after two years, let fly from 35 yards out and put it just under the crossbar to double the Bruins’ lead. Alexis Ball and Lola Banks added late goals to complete the rout.

It was the first win for any of the Broadneck players against Severna Park, who had last lost to the Bruins in the 2022 playoffs.

“We lost here my freshman year 2-1 and it was devastating, so getting the first goal was awesome and we just kept going. Everyone played so hard the entire game,” Orso said. “The more you increase that lead, the more everyone feels confident, plays better, and connects more. It built us together better.”

Broadneck opened the season with two tournament wins, 10-0 over Bowie and 3-0 over Howard. After Severna Park, they beat St. Mary’s 2-1 on a second half goal from Banks. Then they topped Meade 8-0 and Glen Burnie 5-0 to keep their perfect record intact.

Through six games, the Bruins have scored 32 goals, 19 of them coming from three players: Terhune and Raegan Milnes each have a team-best seven goals, while Orso has added five. Orso leads the team with six assists, while Terhune has four. Seventeen players have at least one goal contribution on the season.

The depth in attack and the fact it comes from up top, out wide and in midfield means that, unlike previous seasons where the Bruins were figuring opponents out and adjusting, they get to put their stamp on the game.

“We needed to get back to doing what we’ve done well, which is be fast on the ball, physical and win tackles, and we did a really good job of setting that tempo (against Severna Park),” said Bruins coach John Camm. “Rory and Raegan are so good, and you add a third person (Orso) into that attack, it’s going to be hard for teams to stop. … You just have to put as much pressure as you can on (opponents), and we feel like we are going to be hard to play against for anyone.”