Jade Fair
Derrick Webb

Derrick Webb

Derrick is SOSA's chief content coordinator and has worked for the Chillicothe Gazette, the Portsmouth Daily Times and Eleven Warriors. He's a 13-time award-winning journalist, a self-proclaimed baseball purist, a suffering Bengals fan and has never met a stranger.

Unioto’s Fair, Walter score first career varsity goals in conference win over ZT

Both Unioto's Jade Fair and Maddie Walter scored their first career varsity goals in Monday's win over Zane Trace.

Derrick Webb, Staff Writer

CHILLICOTHE — Both Jade Fair and Maddie Walter got a taste of what scoring on the biggest stage feels like Monday night.

Fair, a freshman, and Walter, a sophomore, combined to score three goals in Unioto’s 6-1 victory over Zane Trace in Scioto Valley Conference action.

Unioto’s Maddie Walter scored a pair of goals in the Shermans’ 6-1 victory over Zane Trace, Monday.
CREDIT: Jenny Campbell/SOSA

Walter’s first varsity goal came with 23:20 left in the game, thanks to an assist from teammate Ashtyn Miller, extending Unioto’s lead at the time to 3-0. Her second came with 18:01 remaining, off an assist from Emily Hanes, putting Unioto up 5-1.

“My first goal, [Unioto coach] Jeremy [Clark] had been telling me to aim big and we’ve been practicing on our shots all week,” Walter said. “But I went in, I was just confident, and it went in. I was happy. My second goal, I didn’t even think it went in, but it felt pretty good. Jeremy just keeps telling us to work on the same stuff. So I ran with it.”

Fair’s score was sandwiched in between Walter’s pair. It came with 22:09 left in regulation and while the Shermans held a 3-0 lead. On the play, Fair received a cross, beat a diving goalkeeper and eased the ball into the net.

“That was the first goal of my varsity career,” Fair said. “It’s a really big accomplishment for me. I just have to keep working. As a freshman, it’s hard to step up and follow the upperclassmen. So it’s a really big accomplishment. I’ve been working hard to get that goal.”

All in all, five different Shermans scored in the win.

PHOTOS: Images from Unioto’s 6-1 victory over Zane Trace

VIDEO: Jade Fair, Maddie Walter discuss first career goals

Avery Miller netted the game’s first goal, scoring off an assist from Sophia Garza, and following and a corner kick, with 27:55 remaining in the first half. Brandy Robinson then gave Unioto a 2-0 lead at the 19:09 mark.

Walter and Fair’s first scores followed, and Zane Trace’s Haynna Addy got the Pioneers (4-7-1, 1-2 SVC) on the board with 21:56 remaining, making it 4-1.

Walter then scored her second before senior Kylee Bethel added the game’s final goal, off an assist from Avery Miller, with just 3:27 left.

The Shermans (5-5, 2-0 SVC) are back in action Thursday, hosting Alexander. Zane Trace attempts to bounce back on Sept. 30, at Piketon.

“We just need to work as a team [to beat Alexander], bring each other up and be confident while we get ready for the tournament,” Fair said.

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