John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LUCASVILLE — Seven years is a long time to wait.
But Alexander’s seven-year wait has now come to a jubilant end.
For the first time since the 2018 season, Alexander is returning Albany with a district championship in hand.
The Spartans got two goals from Eliza Blaney and pieced together an excellent defensive game plan, keeping Hillsboro at bay in a 2-1 win in a Division IV district final on Thursday.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“This win means a lot. This is only the third district championship in program history and we’ve only been to four,” Alexander coach Todd Norris said. “All year, the girls have been striving for this. So this was a big goal for them. I knew what we were capable of, but the fight the girls came out with, this year and in this game, shocked me. I’m just proud of them.”
The Spartans (15-3-1) took an early 1-0 lead when Arbor Albano dribbled up the left side of the penalty area before sending a low cross that was run on by Blaney with 29:30 left in the half.
Blaney’s one touch sneakily beat the keeper to the near post, giving the Spartans an early advantage.
The teams played an even brand of soccer over the next few minutes with Alexander’s Karah Allison and Hillsboro’s Meredith Dietrick leading their teams in the key minutes of action.
Blaney added to the lead just over 20 minutes later when she beat her defender down the right flank, gaining momentum on the run before slotting the right-footed shot across her body and into the bottom left corner, makin it a two-goal advantage with 7:40 to go in the first half.
PHOTOS: Images from Alexander’s district final win over Hillsboro
“Eliza is very unique,” Norris said. “She does a lot of work outside of practice to better herself. But what makes her different, and what makes it hard for teams to guard her, is that she consciously changes her play style depending on the game. We do a lot of scouting and she’ll figure out who we’re playing and find out the best way to exploit their weakness. She’s unpredictable and that’s what makes her dangerous.”
Once Hillsboro (10-9-1) was in a two-goal hole, the Indians really began to pick up the intensity on the offensive end. Kobie Miles and Arianna Evans peppered Alexander’s Brooklyn Metts with shots to close the half, but the senior goalkeeper collected a handful of saves to keep the clean sheet intact.
The Indians kept the pressure up late in the match, resulting in a corner with less than 10 minutes to play. On the play, Miles sprinted near the penalty spot and crushed a right-footed volley to cut the deficit to 2-1 with only 7:53 to play.
However, the Spartans’ defense of Morgan Mitchell, Kayden Bean, Lydia Moore and Lily Ryder, alongside Allison in the midfield, put on a masterclass of slowing the game down and not allowing the Indians another look on target after Miles’ masterful strike.
“We have a relatively new back line compared to last year,” Norris said. “We’ve got two new players and I didn’t know what to expect from them. But they’ve really locked down. They take it personally when we give up a goal. But a big part of that is Morgan Mitchell. As a senior captain, she leads those girls phenomenally. She controls where everyone goes and covers her teammates. And then, in goal, [Metts], I’d put her up against anyone in the state.”
As the seconds ran down, Albano sent the ball downfield one final time to set off a celebration that was seven years in the making for the Spartans.
“Now that we’ve won the district, the girls are pinpointing a trip to the regional final. They’ve got their minds set on making it there,” Norris said.
Alexander now advances to a Division IV regional semifinal at 7 p.m., Tuesday at Jackson’s Alumni Stadium.
The Spartans will face McClain that evening, who beat Wheelersburg by a 2-1 final to advance.
“The biggest thing for me when I took this head coaching role was to build an identity,” Norris said. “I think, for us, we won’t change our game plan because we know how good we can be. We know when we execute our game plan, we’ll come out on top. So we’ll watch film, figure out who [McClain’s] best players are, and just be us. We’ll do what we need to do.”
Scoring summary
1st Half
29:30 – A – Eliza Blaney, assisted by Arbor Albano
7:40 – A – Blaney
2nd Half
7:53 – H – Kobie Miles
Stat book
Shots: Alexander 13, Hillsboro 6
Saves: Alexander 5 (Metts 5), Hillsboro 7 (Holland)
Fouls: Alexander 5, Hillsboro 9
Corners: Alexander 6, Hillsboro 5
Offsides: Alexander 3, Hillsboro 0
SPONSORED BY VINTON COUNTY NATIONAL BANK
