The ball bounded off of the inside of Leonardtown sophomore Emily Gehrig's right foot and floated toward the goal, slicing incrementally toward the middle of the field during a 25-yard flight that, to the Leonardtown girls' soccer team, felt more like 25 minutes. "It seemed like it was in the air forever," senior Kassie Martin said.

Sophomore Emily Gehrig, center, is mobbed by teammates as she scores the game winning goal with 98 seconds left, giving the Raiders the Maryland 4A Championship. (Preston Keres - The Washington Post)

It was worth the wait. Gehrig's picturesque, looping drive sneaked in under the crossbar and hit the back of the net with 98 seconds left in regulation, giving the Raiders the Maryland 4A championship by virtue of a dramatic 1-0 victory over Quince Orchard last night at UMBC.

In its first season playing in the state's largest size classification, Leonardtown took a youthful lineup that included just three senior starters and rode it all the way to the St. Mary's County school's first state crown since a 3A title in 1998.

"Because we were so young, people didn't believe we could go very far," said Gehrig, who gathered a loose ball in the 79th minute on the right side of the field and sent it skyward, spinning sideways toward Cougars goalie Jenna Cheek.

Cheek, who stands around 5 feet 4, jumped to try to block it, but she simply had no chance. It was the perfect shot -- and for Leonardtown (17-1-1), perfect timing.

"It couldn't get there fast enough," Leonardtown Coach Jen Henderson said, smiling. "Emily is an excellent striker. She hit a beautiful shot and it was great to see it go into the net."

The game appeared destined for overtime throughout a first half with few scoring opportunities, and some could perhaps see the same fate as the boys' title game, during which neither team scored in regulation or overtime, leading to a tie. At halftime, though, Henderson delivered a message."She told us, 'We're not sharing the state title,' " Gehrig said.

Leonardtown dominated the second half, winning virtually every loose ball and putting constant pressure on the defense of Quince Orchard (15-4). But all of their offensive attacks fizzled in the box, never amounting to much of a threat. Until, that is, Gehrig took the shot that will be remembered at Leonardtown for years to come.

Leonardtown 1, Quince Orchard 0 Not bad for a rookie: Leonardtown not only won its first state title since 1998, but it did so in its first year of varsity competition. Looking good for '08: The Raiders, who lost seven starters last season, bring back all but three next year. They will, however, have to replace senior standouts Kassie Martin and Lena Cords (Boston University).