John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
JACKSON – Alexander has had one goal in mind for quite some time now.
The 2018 team was one of the program’s best-ever, finishing their season as a regional runner-up after winning league, sectional and district titles.
But that storied group is going to have to make room for a newcomer.
With a 2-1 win over McClain on Tuesday in a Division IV regional semifinal, this year’s version of the Spartans has cemented its own legendary status.
“Getting to the regional final was always a goal for our team,” Alexander coach Todd Norris said. “But more than that, I think, we were saying that being in the Elite 8 was our goal. But I truly feel that in our girls’ hearts and in their eyes, getting to the Final 4 is what they really, really want. I know, going into that game on Saturday, that every single one of them will leave every single ounce of their energy and their spirit on the field, fighting to make that happen.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Just 41 seconds after relinquishing a one-goal lead, Alexander’s Arbor Albano scored and the Spartans were able to hold off a relentless McClain attack to punch their ticket to Saturday’s regional championship game.
“It was a pretty great goal because that’s a play that we’ve been working on in practice,” Albano said. “Free kicks have not been the best for us when it comes to actually finishing. So it was very exciting to see that go in and give us something.”
It took just four minutes and forty-eight seconds for Alexander to break the scoring ice.
Following a corner kick, Albano kept possession alive for the Spartans, playing the ball outside to Kaylee Hudnall. Hudnall connected with Eliza Blaney, who dribbled through a trio of defenders before her shot was blocked.
As the ball took a sideways bounce, Karah Allison made a bee-line to the ball and just touched it with the outside of her right foot, finding the net to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead.
“The first goal, I saw that either me or the keeper was going to get to it,” Allison said. “I knew that I just had to get a touch around her and it would go in.”
At the 14-minute mark, the Tigers finally were able to catch a break.
After a collision in the box left the net open, McClain won a loose ball and appeared to have a clean shot. But Hudnall swooped in at the last moment to block the shot wide, keeping the lead intact.
PHOTOS: Images from Alexander’s regional semifinal win over McClain
“We game-planned for that. We knew that [the Tigers] were going to hit balls to [Paisley Pryor] and we tried to always know where she was on the field,” Allison said. “Morgan [Mitchell] and Lily [Ryder] are our veteran defenders and they did a really good job of clearing it and not letting her get a shot on goal. They’ve been doing a really good job on that all season.”
But after trailing throughout the majority of the first half, the Tigers were finally able to draw even early in the second.
Mylie Lovett sent a corner kick towards the six-yard box, where Larah Hensen boxed out her defender and got enough of the ball with a header to beat the keeper and force a 1-1 tie at the 38:28 mark.
But shortly after the momentum swing, the Tigers were whistled for a foul in their defensive third and the Spartans made them pay.
Allison connected with Albano for what would be the game-winning goal. Allison’s free kick found the feet of Albano, who did the rest with 37:47 to play, swinging the momentum right back to the red and black.
“We haven’t conceded a whole lot of goals this season but in the games we have, something I’ve noticed is that our girls don’t drop their heads,” Norris said. “Even though McClain scored, it just fired us up more to get back up the field. I think our girls, all season and in this game, showed real desire to get that goal back. Their response to adversity is incredible. Every single one of these girls is a fighter at heart. It’s just what we do.”
With three goals being scored after restarts, it had proved to be difficult for either team to get much offensive traction going through the run of play. Both defensive units were stout, but the Spartans had a weapon to protect their defense just a bit more — and elite midfield.
Albano, Allison, Hudnall, Maddie Brookins and Alaine Mowry did an outstanding job throughout the entire evening of aiding the defense with possession and precision passing.
By keeping the ball away from the dynamic feet of Pryor and Addison Olaker, it provided less time for the Spartans’ defense to have to defend the outstanding Tiger forwards.
“[The midfielders] are a huge element to our team and they’re the workhorse and engine,” Norris said. “They play as one and are the reason we play the way we do. They keep the ball on the ground, control the game and have the physicality to match up with anyone we’re playing. They’re just really composed on the ball. All three of them, in my eyes, are all-state girls.”
With McClain’s season on the brink, the Tigers began an aggressive push forward offensively as they looked for the tying tally. But the Spartan’s always-steady defense held strong time after time.
Led by Mitchell, alongside Lily Rider, Kayden Bean and Lydia Moore, the unit swarmed to the ball any time it reached Pryor or Olaker, working to de-possess whichever Tiger had the ball.
On the rare occasion that the ball got through, senior goalkeeper Brooklyn Metts pounced to quell the attack, forcing anything from McClain to come from a distance, which Metts coolly collected.
“I never have a doubt in Brooklyn,” Albano said. “I don’t have a doubt in our defense. They are all amazing and we wouldn’t be where we are without them.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Even as the physicality turned up over the final minutes, Alexander stayed solid defensively, playing the ball upfield to Blaney to help run more time off the clock and limit McClain’s chances.
In the closing seconds, a last gasp for McClain was eliminated as Hudnall sent a final clearance forward to run out the clock and punch the Spartans’ ticket into the Elite 8.
While the Tigers’ season comes to a close, Alexander advances to a Division IV regional championship game at noon, Saturday at West Muskingum High School.
The Spartans will meet with Lisbon Beaver, who beat Tuscarawas Valley by a 3-2 final to advance.
“Our girls are a very close-knit bunch,” Norris said. “They spend a lot of time with each other outside of the sport. When I get to practice, they’re all talking and playing games. They’re just always hanging out. There’s no groups on this team. They’re one entity and they eat, breathe and live soccer. I think that close bond and all of their team bonding helps them.”
SPONSORED BY GLO FIBER
