GLADIATORS OVERCOME THE ‘BEAST’

Despite a game goalie in Oakland Mills’ Margo Santiago, Glenelg won Tuesday’s Howard County League girls’ soccer match, 2-1, on the road.

That’s why her coach, Susan Rosner, admiringly called her, “a beast.”

“Margo comes up huge in the goal,” said Rosner. “But she’s been that way for a couple of years.”

She was that way on Tuesday evening against Glenelg, the defending Class 2A state champion,
in Howard County League girls soccer action.

Although visiting Glenelg eventually solved Santiago for a 2-1 victory — being out-shot, 23-6, led to  that — coach Dean Sheridan said his Gladitors’ never truly tamed her.

“Of the shots we took, most of them were between the posts and in danger of going in, but their goalie was on so many of those balls,” Sheridan said of Santiago, whom he credited with seven saves.

“At one point, she stopped a header by one of our girls,” Sheridan said. “I turned around, looked at our bench and said, ‘now that was a save.'”

But it was the Gladiators (4-6-1 overall, 3-4 league) who left the game victorious, having received goals from sophomore midfielder Ellen Axenfeld and senior midfielder Rachel Dewberry, the latter off an assist from sophomore Hope LaHayne.

Splitting time in the goal for Glenelg were seniors Kerry Kramer and Malena Cahall, who combined
for three saves.

The game was scoreless at halftime, after which Axenfeld converted 10 minutes into the second
half.

The Scorpions (2-4-1, 3-5-2) tied the game on a score by Dana Wiedel, but Dewberry’s game-winner
clinched it with six minutes left to play.