Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LUCASVILLE — Before Thursday’s game even started, Fairfield had already authored history.
After an adversity-filled regular season, the Lions had captured a sectional crown before clinching their first-ever trip to a district championship game.
And the pen is still moving.
Behind two goals from senior Kennedy Zink, alongside a complete team effort for exactly 83 minutes and 49 seconds, Fairfield (15-3-1) handed Minford a 2-1 loss in overtime to lift their first-ever district championship trophy.
Unequivocally, this tale is one worth reading.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“This group is just special,” Fairfield coach Jacob Alexander said. “These seniors are special and they’ve been around some really good teams. We’ve had some great seniors come through to mold them and they’ve made this season their own. It’s just been special.”
Minford (11-6-2) got on the board first and took early momentum with 26:41 left in the first half.
Lexi Conkel found Ava Cronin in front of Fairfield’s goal and Cronin headed the ball into the netting to put the Falcons up 1-0.
At that point, the Lions had a choice to make — throw in the towel and be satisfied with the season they’d had or battle to keep that season going.
They chose the latter.
“Minford was great. Their goalie, some of the saves she made in the second half … I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Just let one in. Come on.’ She was great and every time Lexi Conkel touches a ball, it scares you. We talked coming into this game about there being a chance of them getting a goal. We knew we could not give up if they got one, and the girls didn’t.”
While Minford seemed to be in control of possession, Fairfield took advantage of its opportunities to pester Falcon goalkeeper Addi Lemon – who, as Alexander alluded to, played a fantastic game in her own right.
After multiple point-blank misses, the Lions finally got on the board with just 28 seconds left before halftime.
Zink, unassisted, found the back of the net to force a 1-1 tie and give her team a huge, much-needed boost of momentum going into the break.
“Kennedy was big,” Alexander said. “Going back to her freshman year, [Lynchburg-Clay coach] Dennis West, we’re sitting at the district meeting and I’ve got Ella Newkirk and Cadence Saunders, who both were very good players, up for district consideration. Dennis says, ‘Yeah, they’re good but Zink scares me more as a freshman. I wasn’t prepared for her.’ She was just huge tonight.”
In the second half, Fairfield continued to create shot attempts with several being on target. But Lemon was there each time to parry the ball away from danger.
Meanwhile, Cronin got an incredible look at Fairfield’s goal with 18:40 to play. But the junior’s header missed just right of the goal to keep the stalemate intact.
Later, at the 15:10 mark, the Falcons worked the ball back into the penalty box, following a corner kick, and sent a shot towards the goal. But Lion keeper Claire Newkirk stepped in front of it, obstructing the last real scoring chance in regulation to force extra time.
Alexander, just before overtime started, took a chance to address his team.
“This is your opportunity to have greatness. That’s what I told them,” Alexander said. “I just wanted them to come out and soak it in as a team, and listen to each other. They did that and they were special.”
Zink and teammate Faith Donley teamed up to close the Lions’ championship chapter.
Donley, who seemed to be everywhere all night long, found a streaking Zink near the goal and with 11:12 left on the clock, Zink put the finishing touches on the Lions’ first-ever district crown.
“Before the game, we talked and it was, ‘Hey, take a moment and take a breath. Enjoy the ride we’ve had so far but we’ve got work to do.’” Alexander said. “These girls have set a standard now. We talked about not wanting it to end. We felt like we were a very good team that could be great. We proved that tonight.”
While Minford’s season comes to an end, Fairfield advances to a Division III regional semifinal at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Zane Trace High School. There, the Lions will face off with a familiar foe in Lynchburg-Clay — a winner over North Adams on Thursday.
“We can play with anyone in this district. We just need to come in with positivity and we need to come in ready to go,” Alexander said. “Lynchburg is going to give you their best shot every time you play them. We’ve seen them and we’ve got film on them because we’ve played them. It’s a county rivalry.”
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