“A lot of people, including myself, came into this with a lot of excitement but a lot of nerves at the same time,” Da Silva said. “Getting that first goal so early definitely made us confident.”

The Blazers (16-2) will take on two-time defending state champion Whitman in next week’s 4A state title game.

Zhong, Blair’s leading goal scorer, played a different role than usual in the Blazers’ opening goal.

The senior entered Saturday’s semifinal with 15 goals and nine assists in her first season with the Blazers; she previously focused on club soccer commitments during the fall. Zhong added her 10th assist of the season on Da Silva’s early tally.

The Blazers took their 1-0 advantage into halftime after a back-and-forth first half but controlled much of the final 40 minutes and were rewarded for their play halfway through the second half.

Meron Koro picked up an errant pass by Perry Hall (6-8-2) and drove toward the end line before she saw the goalkeeper off her line, expecting a cross. Koro saw a vacant back post and unleashed a looping shot that sailed over the goalkeeper’s head and nestled into the bottom corner to double Blair’s lead in the 57th minute.

Coach Robert Gibb, in his 35th season at Blair, said the Blazers had a good junior foundation in 2019 when they appeared in the program’s first state semifinal and fell to Perry Hall. He thought Blair could build on the progress the following season, but there was no 2020 state tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gibb felt the same way about last year’s state semifinalists. This season’s group of 11 seniors — with nine returning starters plus the addition of Zhong — vindicated his outlook by advancing to the program’s first state title game, a moment etched in writing when Da Silva penned the school’s name, with three exclamation points, on a parent-made bracket after the win.

“Over the past four years I’ve been on this team, we’ve always had very solid teams, but I think that this year, this shows that there’s something special about us,” Da Silva said.

Whitman gets chance to three-peat

Whitman will have the opportunity to three-peat as state champion next week after blanking Glen Burnie, 3-0, in Saturday’s second semifinal.

Riley DeMartino’s hat trick lifted the Vikings past the Gophers, who were making their first state semifinal appearance on their home field. Whitman took down No. 1 Quince Orchard, 2-0, in the Class 4A West II region final in October after falling to the Cougars during the regular season en route to its third straight final.

Whitman (13-1) will take on Blair for the state title next week. The Vikings bested the Blazers, 1-0, in the regular season matchup between the Montgomery County programs.

Mount Hebron qualifies for third straight final

Mount Hebron advanced to its third consecutive 3A state championship game Saturday with a 1-0 win over Oakdale in Frederick.

Olivia Hoover scored the decisive goal for the Vikings in the 21st minute. Mount Hebron (15-1) has won 15 consecutive games since a 2-1 loss in its season opener against nationally ranked McDonogh School and will take on Severna Park next week for the state title.