(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
EVERGREEN FRESHMAN … Lyla Radel handles the ball with a Columbus Grove defender nearby. VIEW 139 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
(PORT CLINTON) – Columbus Grove came in with all the accolades. A 17-1-2 record and the Division V District Player Of The Year in Lauryn Auchmuty, was on the side of the Bulldogs.
However, Evergreen, who had won six straight late in the season, including three in a row in the tournament to avenge a tie and two losses to win a district title stayed right with top-seeded Grove until Auchmuty broke a 1-1 tie with a controversial goal with 3:36 left to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 win in a regional semifinal at Port Clinton.
It appeared Auchmuty’s tally came after a Grove player was offside prior to her strike but the officials on the field did not concur, and with no review in high school soccer, the goal stood.
“Knocking off three teams after losing or tying them and to be considered an easy win in the tournament is an incredible feeling to have to win district and get to the regional,” Viking coach Jacob Ott said.
“All the credit goes to the girls who wanted that redemption. Our tournament message was not to be content. We made history at Evergreen and get to hang that banner.” Tonight, we felt we controlled the game but couldn’t find the back of the net.”
It was a tragic ending to the game that Viking goalie Ellie Nash played. For the first 76 minutes of the match, the junior netminder almost single handedly kept Evergreen in the contest.
Twice in the first half, Nash stopped Auchmuty, once in a 1-v-1 situation with 28 minutes left on the clock, then the second with 11 minutes left with a great save on a shot from the right side.
“Ellie had her best game of the season and made some incredible saves,” exclaimed Ott. “The defense held their own against a high-powered offense, but it’s hard to contain the long ball and district player of the year for 80 minutes.”
Grove’s Erienne Heffner was just as good as she knocked away Addy Gleckler’s drive from the right, then stopped Kyla Risner from the middle to keep the game scoreless at half.
Again, Auchmuty tried Nash from right in front nine minutes into the second half, and again the Evergreen goalie stuffed her.
However, 29 seconds later, Auchmuty got the best of the try as she got loose in front and drove one into the net for the first goal of the night with 30:31 to go.
REGIONAL SOCCER … Evergreen’s Annabelle Abec kicks the ball during last week’s regional semifinal in Port Clinton.
Evergreen came right back on the offensive as Lyla Radel’s free kick was headed by Lydia Gleckler, but the senior defender’s try hit the bar.
Five minutes later Addy Gleckler found Radel free on the left, but Heffner harnessed her shot. Finally, at 20:49 Radel got the better of Heffner as her bomb from the middle after she picked a Grove pass, beat the Bulldog goalkeeper on the right side to even the match.
Then came the controversial goal as a pass lofted in found a Grove player seemingly ahead of everyone illegally. A clearing attempt was retained inside the 18 and in a scrum from in front of the net, Auchmuty got the game winner.
Addy Gleckler had one last shot for the Vikings, however her shot from the left sailed just over the crossbar with 25 seconds left.
Evergreen’s season finishes with a 13-6-2 mark and the first district title in the school’s nine-year soccer tenure.
“The run we had was truly incredible and awesome to be a part of,” Ott expressed about his team. “I knew all season that this team could do something special but just couldn’t quite pull it together early.”
“After the first Delta game (a 2-0 loss), whatever it was that sparked the team made us something that was going to be hard to stop.”
