Lions move to district finals with shootout win
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Press-
After fending off rain, wind, chilly weather and their opponents, the Fairfield Lions moved onto the district finals after outlasting the Zane Trace Pioneers for 110 minutes of play and two shootouts for a 6-5 victory at Jackson High School.
The win puts the Lions (15-3-1) in the district finals against Wheelersburg (10-3-5) in the district championship game on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. at JHS.
"This was a true gut check performance by the boys," FHS coach Brian Ortlieb said. "To come out here and play a team the caliber of Zane Trace, then come away with the win to move on, is something very special.
"This is the first-ever district championship match in school history for boys soccer. The boys are playing really well right now."
Zane Trace (15-3-0) battled hard against the Lions, as the Pioneers struck first in the opening 40-minute half, at the 37:00 mark on a header off a corner kick from the right corner for a 1-0 lead.
The Pioneers held that 1-0 lead until the 13-minute mark of the second half despite several near goals for both sides.
A penalty by the Pioneers gave the Lions a free kick from around 35 yards from goal. Blake Hildebrant, who earlier in the day raced in the Division III district cross-country meet, placed the ball inside the near post as the ZT keeper attempted to make the save but couldn’t handle the hard shot cleanly. As the ball bounced from the keeper, Fairfield’s Ryan Bates was in place to knock the fumbled ball into the back of the net, tying the score at 1-1.
Both squads pushed each other for the final 13 minutes, but neither could gain a clear advantage and finish the game in regulation time.
The Pioneers did nearly regain the lead in the closing minutes of the second half, but a great defensive play by the Lions' defense saved the Fairfield season.
ZT sent a deep ball into the corner of the box, but the FHS keeper ran out to scoop it up but was outrun by a step by a Pioneers forward, who made a centering pass to a teammate in front of the empty net.
The ensuing strike was on target as Trey Current made a miraculous save on defense, blocking the chest-high shot, clearing it from the box.
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The tie at the end of regulation put both teams up against the wall as OHSAA rules stipulate that the first to score in overtime wins the match. Neither team could find the back of the net in the first 15-minute overtime period, as both defenses held strong on several shots from both squads.
The second overtime period began after just a two-minute break.
After a flurry of back and forth possessions, the Pioneers nearly ended the Lions' season, once again. ZT sent a ball to the right post from 15 yards out. Fairfield keeper Joey Wilson dove right to block the shot with his outstretched arms. A Zane Trace player immediately put a rebound shot back at Wilson, but he somehow pushed the ball wide with his fingertips to thwart the abrupt threat.
Following what added up to 110 minutes of soccer, the score still remained tied at 1-1.
Both teams would go to the shootout portion to decide the match. Both teams alternated five kickers, each to take a penalty shot from the penalty spot located 12 yards from the goal.
Each team connected on four of five shots to keep the match tied at the end of the first shootout. Hildebrant, Current, Quintin Schaffer and Bates all hit their shots to move Fairfield to the next round of penalty shots.
The second shootout consisted of five new shooters from each team. This time it would be sudden death, with the first team to make and the other team to miss deciding the match.
Fairfield’s Cody Bennett was the first shooter. After a staredown with the Zane Trace goalie, he buried it into the back of the net. ZT countered with a score of their own, and Fairfield’s keeper, Joey Wilson, was next to step up to the ball. Wilson calmly approached the ball and put a hard shot to the right side and into the back of the net. The next ZT shooter pushed the ball wide right, which sealed the Fairfield win.
“The entire defensive half played extremely well," Ortlieb said. "Joey (Wilson) made some absolutely amazing saves in goal. He makes a lot of saves that other keepers don’t even come close to.
"Blake (Hildebrant) and Ryan (Bates) both worked the ball well up front but just couldn’t convert. Zane Trace has a nice back line that just wouldn’t allow us to penetrate."
The win puts the Lions (15-3-1) in the district finals against Wheelersburg (10-3-5) in the district championship game on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. at JHS.
"This was a true gut check performance by the boys," FHS coach Brian Ortlieb said. "To come out here and play a team the caliber of Zane Trace, then come away with the win to move on, is something very special.
"This is the first-ever district championship match in school history for boys soccer. The boys are playing really well right now."
Zane Trace (15-3-0) battled hard against the Lions, as the Pioneers struck first in the opening 40-minute half, at the 37:00 mark on a header off a corner kick from the right corner for a 1-0 lead.
The Pioneers held that 1-0 lead until the 13-minute mark of the second half despite several near goals for both sides.
A penalty by the Pioneers gave the Lions a free kick from around 35 yards from goal. Blake Hildebrant, who earlier in the day raced in the Division III district cross-country meet, placed the ball inside the near post as the ZT keeper attempted to make the save but couldn’t handle the hard shot cleanly. As the ball bounced from the keeper, Fairfield’s Ryan Bates was in place to knock the fumbled ball into the back of the net, tying the score at 1-1.
Both squads pushed each other for the final 13 minutes, but neither could gain a clear advantage and finish the game in regulation time.
The Pioneers did nearly regain the lead in the closing minutes of the second half, but a great defensive play by the Lions' defense saved the Fairfield season.
ZT sent a deep ball into the corner of the box, but the FHS keeper ran out to scoop it up but was outrun by a step by a Pioneers forward, who made a centering pass to a teammate in front of the empty net.
The ensuing strike was on target as Trey Current made a miraculous save on defense, blocking the chest-high shot, clearing it from the box.
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The tie at the end of regulation put both teams up against the wall as OHSAA rules stipulate that the first to score in overtime wins the match. Neither team could find the back of the net in the first 15-minute overtime period, as both defenses held strong on several shots from both squads.
The second overtime period began after just a two-minute break.
After a flurry of back and forth possessions, the Pioneers nearly ended the Lions' season, once again. ZT sent a ball to the right post from 15 yards out. Fairfield keeper Joey Wilson dove right to block the shot with his outstretched arms. A Zane Trace player immediately put a rebound shot back at Wilson, but he somehow pushed the ball wide with his fingertips to thwart the abrupt threat.
Following what added up to 110 minutes of soccer, the score still remained tied at 1-1.
Both teams would go to the shootout portion to decide the match. Both teams alternated five kickers, each to take a penalty shot from the penalty spot located 12 yards from the goal.
Each team connected on four of five shots to keep the match tied at the end of the first shootout. Hildebrant, Current, Quintin Schaffer and Bates all hit their shots to move Fairfield to the next round of penalty shots.
The second shootout consisted of five new shooters from each team. This time it would be sudden death, with the first team to make and the other team to miss deciding the match.
Fairfield’s Cody Bennett was the first shooter. After a staredown with the Zane Trace goalie, he buried it into the back of the net. ZT countered with a score of their own, and Fairfield’s keeper, Joey Wilson, was next to step up to the ball. Wilson calmly approached the ball and put a hard shot to the right side and into the back of the net. The next ZT shooter pushed the ball wide right, which sealed the Fairfield win.
“The entire defensive half played extremely well," Ortlieb said. "Joey (Wilson) made some absolutely amazing saves in goal. He makes a lot of saves that other keepers don’t even come close to.
"Blake (Hildebrant) and Ryan (Bates) both worked the ball well up front but just couldn’t convert. Zane Trace has a nice back line that just wouldn’t allow us to penetrate."