John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LEESBURG – Thanks to a pair of second half goals, one of the most impressive unbeaten streaks in Southern Ohio history has officially come to a screeching halt.
Fairfield’s Vivian Henninger and Ava Hooper scored for the Lions to hand Lynchburg-Clay a 2-1 loss on Wednesday — the Mustangs’ first loss in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action since the 2010 season.
“This win is so big, not just for the seniors getting their first win over Lynchburg-Clay in their career, but for the Lady Lions soccer program as well,” Fairfield coach Jacob Alexander said. “[Lynchburg-Clay coach] Dennis [West] runs such a great program and has truly built something incredibly special going back to the days when he was coaching both boys and girls. To finally beat them is special for the program and something that will be remembered for a long time.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
As they have done for over a decade, the Mustangs made sure to make life difficult for the Lions in the early going.
Lily Ferguson scored a goal in the opening 10 minutes of action on a brilliant through ball from Lily Layne. As Ferguson outraced her defender to the ball at the top of the box, the junior smoothly finished into the back of the net to give Lynchburg-Clay an early 1-0 lead.
“Our backline and goalkeeper got caught flat-footed on that goal, and Lynchburg took advantage,” Alexander said. “But after that, we started attacking the ball more before they could get to the shot. That’s something we’ve talked a lot over the past few games, playing aggressive on defense and dictating the game, not letting anyone dictate us.”
What followed would be a physical contest with over 35 infractions throughout the game with neither team being able to garner much momentum with the stoppages.
Between the physicality and high level of play, the Mustangs were able to withstand any pushes from the Lions through the remainder of the first half, edging themselves 40 minutes closer to adding to their 102-game unbeaten streak.
However, early in the second, the Mustangs’ physical play caught up to them as they were whistled for a foul in the box, giving the Lions a chance from the penalty spot.
That’s when senior Ava Hooper stepped up and drilled the kick inside of the post with 32:44 to play, forcing a 1-1 tie.
The Lions kept the pressure on the Mustangs’ defensive third following the goal, creating more chances inside the box, none better coming than with 30 minutes to play.
Lynchburg-Clay’s Caitlyn Collins made an outstanding kick save with her right foot to barely parry the ball wide of the post, avoiding disaster for the Mustangs.
PHOTOS: Images from Fairfield’s win over Lynchburg-Clay
With just over 10 minutes to play and the Lions pushing forward for the win, Lynchburg-Clay was called for obstruction, leading to an indirect kick inside the penalty area for Fairfield.
With the ball stationary 12 yards off of the goalline, Fairfield’s Vivian Henninger touched the ball and Hooper slammed it into the back of the net for what appeared to be the go-ahead goal.
However, it was determined that the ball did not move forward, making the kick ineligible for scoring without being touched again. Upon the retry, Hooper’s shot would be blocked by the defensive wall before being cleared upfield.
The Lions, however, were undeterred by the temporary letdown.
Hooper sent a leading pass for Henninger to run to after beating her defender. Once Henninger gained possession, the junior striker did what she’s done 22 other times on the season, scoring and beating the keeper to give Fairfield a 2-1 lead with only 2:16 to play.
“Getting that goal taken off, I think that’s a little testament of how our season has been,” Alexander said. “We’ve beefed up our schedule quite a bit this season, and played the top three teams inside of Division IV over the past two-to-three weeks. Getting that win over Wheelersburg was so huge, but then over the next three games, you’re trying to find yourself again. It was a similar feeling with that goal being erased. It was the ultimate high to the ultimate low and having to rebound in that moment. But our girls battled back and just found a way.”
Over the final 136 seconds, the Mustangs attempted to push forward. But as they had done all game, the defensive efforts of Rilee Quickle, Landry Teeters, Ashlyn Bellamy, Whitlee Morrow and Isabelle Hale were just too much for the Mustangs’ offensive attack.
Fairfield’s swarming defense refused to allow another shot to pressure keeper Meri Jackson and the Lions ran out the clock as victors — keeping an outside chance at the SHAC title alive
They’ll need some help from Lynchburg-Clay, who would have to beat league-leading Fayetteville on Saturday.
The loss is the first for Lynchburg-Clay against an opponent from the Southern Hills Athletic Conference since a 2-1 loss to Eastern on Sept. 24, 2010.
It’s a feat that spans over 100 contests in league play — one of the more impressive accomplishments, not only in the area, but throughout the state of Ohio as well.
With the win, the Lions close out their regular season and will look to refocus on being the No. 1 seed in the Southeast District Division V tournament.
“We’re in tournament mode now. It’s everything or nothing, so we had to flip the switch this week and this win is a great start,” Alexander said. “We started playing with a little more pressure down the stretch to prepare for tournaments since there are no ties anymore. We didn’t want to tie, we wanted the win and now we’ll bring that into the tournaments. It’s the exciting time of the season, and I’d be excited if we played them again in a district final.”
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Half
31:00 – LC – Lily Ferguson (9), assisted by Lily Layne
2nd Half
32:44 – FF – Ava Hooper (9) – penalty kick
2:16 – FF – Vivian Henninger (23), assisted by Hooper
STATBOOK
Shots: Lynchburg-Clay 3, Fairfield 9
Shots on Goal: Lynchburg-Clay 2, Fairfield 6
Saves: Lynchburg-Clay 4 (Collins 4), Fairfield 1 (Jackson 1)
Corners Won: Lynchburg-Clay 4, Fairfield 6
Offsides: Lynchburg-Clay 0, Fairfield 1
Fouls: Lynchburg-Clay 22, Fairfield 15
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