Spangler 'saves' the season; Tigers advance to sectional final in shootout
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — "I just wanted to stop anything … I wanted to stop it for the seniors."
Those were the words of McClain junior Cameron Spangler, the MHS keeper who did everything in his power to keep the Tigers' season going … and it worked.
Spangler and his Tiger teammates battled and battled … and battled some more, and after 110 minutes of soccer and a shootout, they kept their season going, as they defeated the Washington Blue Lions, 4-2 in the Division II SE District Sectional Semifinals.
The victory at McClain Field wasn't easy at all, and it was full of defense, as both Spangler and Washington keeper Noah Mesker, along with their defense players, put on a show for the fans in the stands.
[[In-content Ad]]"The defense played well," MHS coach Jon Chamblin said. "We had trouble generating momentum on offense, but hats off to Cameron, he had a heck of a game."
The win puts the Tigers in the sectional final on Saturday, Oct. 19 as they will travel to play the Unioto Shermans at 4 p.m. No. 3 seed MHS now stands at 5-6-5 overall.
The shootout for the two South Central Ohio League teams saw MHS outscore the Blue Lions, 3-1.
Tommy Henry of MHS was first to score in the shootout as the Tigers won the toss. MHS and the Blue Lions each missed their first opportunities at a goal in the shootout, but Henry's goal was off a soft kick that mixed up the keeper.
The Blue Lions responded as Mesker tied the shootout with a goal of his own.
Zach Harper of McClain put the Tigers ahead at 2-1 in the shootout period with his first goal to the left side of the net, and Spangler made a big stop at goal to keep MHS ahead by one goal.
Lincoln O'Connor gave the Tigers a two-goal advantage with a goal, then the final opportunity by the Blue Lions was off, giving the Tigers the win as Spangler and his teammates raced toward each other in celebration.
"It felt great," Spangler said of making saves in the shootout. "I just wanted to keep the season going for the seniors."
Playing their way to a shootout saw many missed opportunities by both teams as the score was tied at zero at the conclusion of the first half.
The first goal of the match didn't come until Juan Rivas scored on a penalty kick with 37:02 on the scoreboard.
Alec Way of the Blue Lions tied the match with 2:53 left in the match, as he scored on a header near the Tigers' goal for a 1-1 score.
The next 30 minutes saw two overtime periods that was full of defense by both teams and no offense, as the two 15-minute extra periods saw no scoring.
In the first overtime, O'Connor made a big stop for the Tigers with 12:53 on the clock. The pressure by both offenses was evident, but neither could break the defense of their opponent as Mesker made a save for Washington off a 30-yard kick with 9:20 left in the opening overtime.
Cody Hardesty of MHS made a game-saving stop on defense near the goal off a Washington corner kick, and in a span of a few minutes, the Blue Lions had three corner kick opportunities around the 5:00 mark of the first OT but earned no goals.
Again, there were more saves by the defense of the Tigers, including another stop by Hardesty and a save by Spangler with 59 seconds left on the clock.
In the second OT, the Tigers just missed on a kick that sailed over the goal, and the Tigers continued to pressure the Blue Lions' defense for nearly 20 consecutive seconds, but the Blue Lions' defense didn't break.
Again, O'Connor made another stop on defense, but again, the score stayed tied at 1-1, forcing the aforementioned shootout.
"A win is a win," Chamblin said. "We'll take it, and it was a big win. Hopefully this gets us pumped up for Unioto.
"The kids played tough. There was a slow start, but they never quit."
BOX SCORE
WSHS 0 1 (0) (0) (1) — 2
MHS 0 1 (0) (0) (3) — 4
Those were the words of McClain junior Cameron Spangler, the MHS keeper who did everything in his power to keep the Tigers' season going … and it worked.
Spangler and his Tiger teammates battled and battled … and battled some more, and after 110 minutes of soccer and a shootout, they kept their season going, as they defeated the Washington Blue Lions, 4-2 in the Division II SE District Sectional Semifinals.
The victory at McClain Field wasn't easy at all, and it was full of defense, as both Spangler and Washington keeper Noah Mesker, along with their defense players, put on a show for the fans in the stands.
[[In-content Ad]]"The defense played well," MHS coach Jon Chamblin said. "We had trouble generating momentum on offense, but hats off to Cameron, he had a heck of a game."
The win puts the Tigers in the sectional final on Saturday, Oct. 19 as they will travel to play the Unioto Shermans at 4 p.m. No. 3 seed MHS now stands at 5-6-5 overall.
The shootout for the two South Central Ohio League teams saw MHS outscore the Blue Lions, 3-1.
Tommy Henry of MHS was first to score in the shootout as the Tigers won the toss. MHS and the Blue Lions each missed their first opportunities at a goal in the shootout, but Henry's goal was off a soft kick that mixed up the keeper.
The Blue Lions responded as Mesker tied the shootout with a goal of his own.
Zach Harper of McClain put the Tigers ahead at 2-1 in the shootout period with his first goal to the left side of the net, and Spangler made a big stop at goal to keep MHS ahead by one goal.
Lincoln O'Connor gave the Tigers a two-goal advantage with a goal, then the final opportunity by the Blue Lions was off, giving the Tigers the win as Spangler and his teammates raced toward each other in celebration.
"It felt great," Spangler said of making saves in the shootout. "I just wanted to keep the season going for the seniors."
Playing their way to a shootout saw many missed opportunities by both teams as the score was tied at zero at the conclusion of the first half.
The first goal of the match didn't come until Juan Rivas scored on a penalty kick with 37:02 on the scoreboard.
Alec Way of the Blue Lions tied the match with 2:53 left in the match, as he scored on a header near the Tigers' goal for a 1-1 score.
The next 30 minutes saw two overtime periods that was full of defense by both teams and no offense, as the two 15-minute extra periods saw no scoring.
In the first overtime, O'Connor made a big stop for the Tigers with 12:53 on the clock. The pressure by both offenses was evident, but neither could break the defense of their opponent as Mesker made a save for Washington off a 30-yard kick with 9:20 left in the opening overtime.
Cody Hardesty of MHS made a game-saving stop on defense near the goal off a Washington corner kick, and in a span of a few minutes, the Blue Lions had three corner kick opportunities around the 5:00 mark of the first OT but earned no goals.
Again, there were more saves by the defense of the Tigers, including another stop by Hardesty and a save by Spangler with 59 seconds left on the clock.
In the second OT, the Tigers just missed on a kick that sailed over the goal, and the Tigers continued to pressure the Blue Lions' defense for nearly 20 consecutive seconds, but the Blue Lions' defense didn't break.
Again, O'Connor made another stop on defense, but again, the score stayed tied at 1-1, forcing the aforementioned shootout.
"A win is a win," Chamblin said. "We'll take it, and it was a big win. Hopefully this gets us pumped up for Unioto.
"The kids played tough. There was a slow start, but they never quit."
BOX SCORE
WSHS 0 1 (0) (0) (1) — 2
MHS 0 1 (0) (0) (3) — 4