CARROLL, Ohio — The Marietta girls soccer team fell behind just once in the Ohio Division II regional finals on Saturday.
Unfortunately, that one goal conceded came at the worst possible time, and the Tigers’ season was over.
At Bloom-Carroll High School, West Holmes’ Aveona Yoder chased down a loose ball deep in the Marietta area and scored the winning goal with 11:25 left in the second overtime to lead the Knights to their first victory, 4-3.Trip to state tournament
A year after reaching the state tournament semifinals, Marietta closed a new chapter with a successful 15-5-1 season.
“We competed to the end and gave them everything we had. Things just didn’t go our way.” Marietta co-head coach Bill Mannix said.
In the final moments of the game, Marietta junior keeper Reiha Lauer tried to cut a down angle away from the crease, but Yoder made a slight fake and saw only an open net in front of her.
“Lija made a great save today and has made great saves all year long.” Mannix said. “We wouldn’t be here without her. I take my hat off to her every day.”
Both teams scored against each other, starting with a goal from Caroline Cortopassi in the 25th minute. Marietta never trailed, but West Holmes never trailed by more than one goal.
“We are patient and we respect our daughters for their perseverance.” Said West Holmes coach and alumnus Skylar Snyder. “Those should have been easy. They don’t stop until they get the result they want. Of course they got the result they wanted.
“It’s easy to overlook small-town teams from the cornfield, but we’re right here in the cornfield and it feels like home.”
With less than four minutes remaining before intermission, West Holmes senior captain Allie McMillen stole the ball near midfield and teammate Charlie Murphy took the lead for the Knights, tying the game at 1-1. .
The two attacks got even more intense in the second game, scoring four goals and sending the match into 15 minutes of overtime.
On Marietta’s second corner kick of the game, freshman Grace Spencer sent the ball to the other side of the net, where Alyssa Baker headed it in to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead just one minute into the second half. did.
Midway through the second half, West Holmes had yet another answer. The Knights took a free kick from about 40 yards from the net, and it was Lauer who put the shot on goal, but the ball slipped from her hands and Avery Arnold converted the rebound to score 2. The score was tied at -2 with 19 minutes and 09 seconds left in regulation.
Spencer took a free kick from nearly 40 yards out, giving Marietta its third and final lead of the game. The shot sailed over the outstretched hand of the Knights’ keeper and just over the crossbar, giving them a 3-2 advantage with 16 minutes and 13 seconds left in the game.
With less than nine minutes on the clock, McMillen made her presence felt and influenced the development of the scoring sequence in many ways. The play started with a free kick by McMillen from 25 yards, which Lauer took a shot on goal.
In the end, West Holmes was awarded a corner kick by Murphy, with the ball still trapped by the Tigers’ defensive end. As players scrambled to win the ball inside the box with corner shots, McMillen took control and scored, sending the game into extra time.
Neither defense moved during the first 15 minutes of overtime. In the second overtime, West Holmes saw the ball drift downfield toward the Marietta net, where Yoder outran a Tiger defender to regain control and score the goal, clinching the region title for the Knights.
Coach Snyder didn’t want her year’s effort to be jeopardized by a series of penalty kicks, similar to when she played for the Knights and the team lost in the regional finals for other reasons. .
“(Yoder) is kind of a silent threat to us, and she did just that today.” Snyder said. “They were man-marking Charlie Murphy, and they started man-marking Ally McMillen for a little bit there as well. So when they start doing that, somebody sneaks in – and Abeona did that for us.”
West Holmes improved to 18-3 heading into next week’s state tournament.
“I’m happy with how this year went. I’m not happy with today’s loss, but I’m certainly happy to be back where I am.” Mannix said. “We will continue to build on that.”
Contact Kelly Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com