When Crofton field hockey shut out Broadneck in the Class 4A state semifinals last fall, all agreed that was the true championship game. Little did they know that not only would they get their dream matchup one year later, they’d finish with the same score.

Four was the magic number for the fourth-ranked St. Joseph’s field hockey team, which beat Massachusetts, 2-1, to secure its fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 championship. No strangers to each other, the Hawks and the Minutewomen have faced off six times since 2022.

The Cardinals have quickly taken over the Maryland field hockey landscape, winning a 3A title in 2022 and now back-to-back 4A crowns.

Crofton’s Bree Riggs, left, and Broadneck’s Caroline Miller make a play for the lose ball during the 4A state field hockey championship at Stevenson University on Saturday. (Brian Krista/Staff) Broadneck’s Cayman Holmes and Crofton’s Willow Siebold,