Lady Lions fall in double OT in regional semifinals
Fairfield senior Ava Hooper is pictured from a tournament game earlier this postseason. (HCP Photo/Stephen Forsha)
Playing in a classic double-overtime battle against Central District champion Fairbanks, the Fairfield Lady Lions left all they had on the field Tuesday evening, falling in double overtime by a 2-1 score in the Division V Regional Semifinals at Lancaster High School.
The “Sweet 16” game saw Fairfield trail by a 1-0 score in the first half against the Fairbanks Lady Panthers following a goal by Mia Pagan at the 6:00 mark of the first half, as that score stood until halftime.
With just under 36 minutes left in the second half, the Lady Lions scored their lone goal, tying the score at 1-1 off a kick near the net by Ava Hooper. This season, Hooper totaled 11 goals and had six assists.
The game-winning goal scored in the second overtime was scored by Fairbanks’ Mara Vicari.
For the Lady Lions, they end the ’25 season with an overall record of 13-7, as they were 5-1 in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. The ’25 season saw Fairfield win their second-ever girls soccer district championship.
This tournament, Fairfield defeated Piketon (8-0), Eastern (3-0) and Lynchburg-Clay (3-2) to win a district title.
In the regular season, Fairfield’s wins were against: Clinton-Massie (7-1), Hillsboro (3-1), North Adams (4-0), Eastern (2-0), Peebles (4-0), Ripley (8-0), Piketon (8-0), Wheelersburg (6-5), McClain (2-0) and Lynchburg-Clay (2-1).
For the ’25 season, junior Vivian Henninger led the team with 31 goals, and she also had seven assists. Junior Emerson Zink led Fairfield with eight assists in ’25. At goal for Fairfield, junior keeper Meri Jackson totaled 75 saves.
The senior class for Fairfield includes: Ava Hooper, Ashlyn Bellamy, Adelia McIntosh, Sophie Humphrey and Mya McIntosh.