Wednesday night was appointment viewing for Howard County soccer fans, a regular season finale between two of the conference’s top teams, Glenelg and Marriotts Ridge, playing for first place in the Summit Division.
Glenelg prevailed, 2-1, keeping its unbeaten season going after surviving in the match’s final minutes.
The messy finish, coupled with the chilly October air, provided participants and spectators with a proper taste of the postseason to come.
“We knew with both of us being undefeated [in conference play], we knew, de facto, whoever wins goes to the county championship,” Glenelg coach Joey Osborne said. “It was a nice game to get playoff atmosphere before the playoffs show up.”
The Mustangs made the game interesting late, while Glenelg (10-0-1, 5-0) armed with the luxury of a constant scoring threat in Tito Tokunboh-Salako, established a lead they could build on just by putting the ball anywhere within the forward’s orbit.
“With his ability up top, he can make differences,” Osborne said of Tokunboh-Salako, who scored both Glenelg goals. “I think he started a little slow here today, but as the game went on, he definitely picked up and showed what his abilities are.”
The Gladiators came out with the quicker and more aggressive strikers, transitioning from defense into offense with ease and lapping the Mustangs (6-4-1, 4-1) in attempted shots. They also suffocated the rare Marriotts Ridge leakouts with their equally speedy back line of defense.
The eye test suggested Glenelg a more complete team. And yet, it spent the majority of the first half pinned in a scoreless deadlock with the host Mustangs, who valiantly held off numerous potential Gladiator scoring drives for as long as they could muster.
It wasn’t until the 29th minute when they finally validated the overwhelming on-field product with a go-ahead goal from Tokunboh-Salako. The junior forward evaded the scrambling defenders still finding their post-transition positioning and forced the keeper into rotation before firing a shot from 12 feet out.
The Mustangs began tipping the scales in their favor upon their return from the halftime break, making more attempts on Glenelg’s net after managing just one shot through the first 40 minutes.
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“They certainly dominated the midfield in the first half,” Marriotts Ridge coach Quinn Khouri said. “But I think we kind of just did the same in the second. I don’t see much between these two teams.”
The Gladiators simmered down in the game’s back half, slowly making their presence more established on the other end of the field with increased attempts on goal. It looked like Glenelg sunk the dagger with seven minutes remaining when Tokunboh-Salako struck again, this time on a transition strike, but just as Osborne pulled him following that goal, Marriotts Ridge trimmed the lead mere seconds later on their first trip downfield.
“I didn’t even know they scored,” Tokunboh-Salako said. “I was shocked, but at the end of the day, we got the W and that’s all that matters.”
The Mustangs made several threats to tie the game within the closing minutes following that shutout-breaker, with Glenelg forcing several crucial diving steals and saves to repeatedly stymy Marriotts Ridge’s final attempts at salvaging their senior night.
The Gladiators held on just long enough to emphatically send one final interception out of bounds as time expired, sealing win No. 10 to solidify an undefeated regular season record.
Glenelg is far from finished despite the regular season wrapping up, with this tight contest backing up Osborne’s warnings of a “difficult and tough” Howard County. He and his Gladiators will have to wait for next Monday’s county championship game for their next chance to add to history, which they’ll hold on their home turf.
