Seahawk Girls Earn Four-Seed

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's girl's varsity soccer team will hope to ride the momentum of a five-game winning streak into tonight's post-season opener against Atholton in the first round of the Class 3A-East playoffs.

The Seahawks finished the regular season last Thursday with a stunning 3-2 win over Queen Anne's for their fifth straight win and sixth of the last seven. Julia Finecey led Decatur with two goals and Charlotte Deck added a third to lead the Seahawk offense, but the big story was goalkeeper Leigh Ann Flounlacker, who recorded a remarkable 22 saves in the contest.

The win over Queen Anne's continued a strong run to the playoffs for Decatur, winners of their last five games. The late run included shutout wins over Mardela and Bennett, which could bode well for the Seahawks.

For Decatur to advance in the state tournament, it will likely need Flounlacker and the defense to continue their recent dominance. Like the other Decatur sports teams, the girls' soccer team has moved up to Class 3A this year and will face stiffer competition than in years past.

The Seahawks finished the regular season with a 9-3 record and garnered the number-four seed in the Class 3A-East bracket and will face the 13-seed Atholton tonight at home. If Decatur prevails, it will get another home game early next week against the winner of Reservoir (5) against Northeast (12).

The move to Class 3A changes the post-season landscape for Decatur, which will not face its familiar rivals on the Eastern Shore in the playoffs. Other teams such as Parkside, Bennett, Queen Anne's and Kent Island, for example, are still in Class 2A and each of those teams earned a first-round bye in their playoff brackets. To their credit, the Seahawks earned a four-seed in Class 3A, which is no small feat, but will have to play a first-round game to advance.