Fairfield falls in shootout to Wheelersburg in district semifinals
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Fairfield Lady Lions gave all they had on Tuesday night against Wheelersburg in the 2020 Division III SE District Semifinal match, but in the end Wheelersburg was just a little stronger, with the visiting Lady Lions losing 3-2 in a shootout.
Playing 80 minutes of regulation soccer, and then 30 more minutes of overtime time soccer, saw the scoreboard read 2-2 before the shootout occurred.
“You hate to lose games like this, but I am really proud of our ladies. They played their hearts out, and that is all I can ask them to do,” FHS head coach Jacob Alexander said. “Give Wheelersburg credit. Every time we got ahead, they had an answer.
“Before I go any further, I want to thank our athletic director, Tony Williams, and the parents of our players for giving me this opportunity to coach this team. It has been a great year for the Lady Lions.”
In the regulation time of the match, it was Fairfield’s Ella Newkirk who was the first to score a goal with the assist from Kennedy Zink with 24:47 left on the clock in the opening half. Wheelersburg followed with a goal to tie the match by Laney Eller with 16:50 left in the first half, as the assist was credited to Annie Coriell.
The score at halftime saw the No. 7 seeded Fairfield and No. 2 seeded Wheelersburg tied at 1-1.
Fairfield broke the tied score for a 2-1 lead when Cadence Saunders sent the ball to the back of the net with an unassisted goal at the 25:19 mark of the second half, putting the Lady Lions back in the lead.
Wheelersburg battled back, eventually forcing overtime with a goal less than two minutes later when Grace Charles also had an unassisted goal at the 23:03 mark of the second half, for a 2-2 score that stood through the end of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods.
In the penalty kick part of the match, Wheelersburg’s Ellie Kallner and Kylan Darnell each made a goal in the final part of the match, winning the shootout 2-0, with the final score of the match being 3-2.
This season, the Lady Lions were led in points by Saunders with 70 as she totaled 28 goals and 14 assists. Newkirk totaled 67 points this season with 28 goals and 11 assists. Also with double-digit scoring this year with 30 points was Zink with 11 goals and eight assists.
“Offensively, I was proud of the two goals we scored. Ella Newkirk, Cadence Saunders and Kennedy Zink did an excellent job working for the goals we scored. I would say this was probably our best game for our midfield, and all three did their part,” Alexander said. “Hailey Tolle, Kenzie Tolle and Olivia Bellamy did excellent getting back to help and then working the ball up the field.
“Defensively, after having a rough few games, they really put in the work. To only give up two goals against a very good Wheelersburg team says a lot about their potential. For the majority of the game, we had two sophomores (Hallie Haines and Kara Gleadle) and two freshmen (Emmi Vance and Avery Teeters) on the back line. Then you throw in a sophomore goalkeeper (Alayna McIntosh), and it just shows how much potential the group has moving forward. I do also need to give credit to our non-starters. They did an excellent job when called upon.”
At goal this season, McIntosh totaled 60 saves in 17 games.
FHS finishes the season at 11-6 overall, as they had an eight-win improvement from a season ago.
“We only had one senior with us tonight, and I would be remiss to not thank her for all of her work this year,” Alexander said. “As a first-year player, Morgan Richmond, was a great addition to this team. I could not have asked for a better attitude and someone that was willing to learn. Kiley Lamb didn't make the trip with us tonight, but she has been a part of this program for the past couple of years, and she will be missed as well.
“As for the future, I can't wait to see what happens. I have a great group of girls coming back, and as upset as we were to lose, we are even more excited for next year.”
Wheelersburg improves to 14-3-1 overall. Wheelersburg will play for a district title on Saturday, Oct. 31 against No. 3 seeded Eastern at 1:30 p.m. at Waverly High School.
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Playing 80 minutes of regulation soccer, and then 30 more minutes of overtime time soccer, saw the scoreboard read 2-2 before the shootout occurred.
“You hate to lose games like this, but I am really proud of our ladies. They played their hearts out, and that is all I can ask them to do,” FHS head coach Jacob Alexander said. “Give Wheelersburg credit. Every time we got ahead, they had an answer.
“Before I go any further, I want to thank our athletic director, Tony Williams, and the parents of our players for giving me this opportunity to coach this team. It has been a great year for the Lady Lions.”
In the regulation time of the match, it was Fairfield’s Ella Newkirk who was the first to score a goal with the assist from Kennedy Zink with 24:47 left on the clock in the opening half. Wheelersburg followed with a goal to tie the match by Laney Eller with 16:50 left in the first half, as the assist was credited to Annie Coriell.
The score at halftime saw the No. 7 seeded Fairfield and No. 2 seeded Wheelersburg tied at 1-1.
Fairfield broke the tied score for a 2-1 lead when Cadence Saunders sent the ball to the back of the net with an unassisted goal at the 25:19 mark of the second half, putting the Lady Lions back in the lead.
Wheelersburg battled back, eventually forcing overtime with a goal less than two minutes later when Grace Charles also had an unassisted goal at the 23:03 mark of the second half, for a 2-2 score that stood through the end of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods.
In the penalty kick part of the match, Wheelersburg’s Ellie Kallner and Kylan Darnell each made a goal in the final part of the match, winning the shootout 2-0, with the final score of the match being 3-2.
This season, the Lady Lions were led in points by Saunders with 70 as she totaled 28 goals and 14 assists. Newkirk totaled 67 points this season with 28 goals and 11 assists. Also with double-digit scoring this year with 30 points was Zink with 11 goals and eight assists.
“Offensively, I was proud of the two goals we scored. Ella Newkirk, Cadence Saunders and Kennedy Zink did an excellent job working for the goals we scored. I would say this was probably our best game for our midfield, and all three did their part,” Alexander said. “Hailey Tolle, Kenzie Tolle and Olivia Bellamy did excellent getting back to help and then working the ball up the field.
“Defensively, after having a rough few games, they really put in the work. To only give up two goals against a very good Wheelersburg team says a lot about their potential. For the majority of the game, we had two sophomores (Hallie Haines and Kara Gleadle) and two freshmen (Emmi Vance and Avery Teeters) on the back line. Then you throw in a sophomore goalkeeper (Alayna McIntosh), and it just shows how much potential the group has moving forward. I do also need to give credit to our non-starters. They did an excellent job when called upon.”
At goal this season, McIntosh totaled 60 saves in 17 games.
FHS finishes the season at 11-6 overall, as they had an eight-win improvement from a season ago.
“We only had one senior with us tonight, and I would be remiss to not thank her for all of her work this year,” Alexander said. “As a first-year player, Morgan Richmond, was a great addition to this team. I could not have asked for a better attitude and someone that was willing to learn. Kiley Lamb didn't make the trip with us tonight, but she has been a part of this program for the past couple of years, and she will be missed as well.
“As for the future, I can't wait to see what happens. I have a great group of girls coming back, and as upset as we were to lose, we are even more excited for next year.”
Wheelersburg improves to 14-3-1 overall. Wheelersburg will play for a district title on Saturday, Oct. 31 against No. 3 seeded Eastern at 1:30 p.m. at Waverly High School.
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