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Kovacs now a Dolphin See page B-2
THE PRESS
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Clay sends team to state
November 4, 2013
R E S Sports S
Sandusky Bay Conference Most Outstanding Performer, Oak Harbor freshman midfielder Emma Barney (10) competes for control with Woodmore senior defender Grace Weirich. (Press photo by Russ Lytle)
NOVEMBER 4, 2013
See page B-3
Oak Harbor junior defender Karis DeWalt gets a steal in the Rocket’s 5-0 district final win over Woodmore. (Press photo by Russ Lytle)
Oak Harbor girls’ soccer closes in on state final four By Yaneek Smith Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com Finally — after advancing to the district finals in five of the previous 10 years, the Oak Harbor girls’ soccer team got over the proverbial hump with its 5-0 defeat over Woodmore to win a championship and advanced to regional play. But it didn’t end there — the run was still continuing at last look. The victory over the Wildcats, which avenged an early-season defeat to the Northern Buckeye Conference champions, came in the Division III district finals at Lake Community Stadium. The Rockets (18-11) advanced to the regional tournament for the first time in the program’s history. And with their 3-0 defeat of Continental last Tuesday, Oak Harbor (18-1-1) was now one win away from a spot in the final four heading into the weekend. The 10th ranked Rockets took on undefeated and No. 5 ranked Liberty-Benton (18-0-1) at Clyde High School Saturday for the right to go to state. The state semifinal will be Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at a site to be announced against the winner of the No. 3 Gates Mills Hawken (14-1-5)-Elyria Catholic (14-3-3) with the state championship Nov. 8 at noon at Columbus Crew Stadium. The other four teams in the elite eight were No. 6 Lynchburg-Clay (19-0-1), Middletown Bishop
Fenwick (10-5-5), No. 2 Sidney Lehman Catholic (17-1-1), and Hamilton Badin (124-4). Oak Harbor’s regional semifinal victory over the Pirates came on two goals from SBC Player of the Year Emma Barney, a freshman who has 33 goals, and another from forward Alexa Weis. Barney and Weis led the Rockets with four goals apiece in the postseason. The other Rocket wins in the tournament were a 2-0 victory over Swanton in the district semifinal and a 5-1 win over Cardinal Stritch Catholic in the sectional final. Woodmore is the only team the Rockets faced that has received votes in the state coaches poll heading into the match with L-B. “Everybody was excited,” veteran coach Renee Goldstein said. “The girls were hoping to play Woodmore again because they were upset about the loss. And moving down to Division III did make a difference – not having to play (D-II) Ontario or Clear Fork is huge because they’re amazing teams.” The run through the tournament, which has seen the Rockets win four games by a combined score of 15-1, has brought the community together. People from town have gathered in multitudes at games throughout the regular season and again now in the postseason, something Goldstein says has given the team a source of pride.
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“It’s nice to see the community come together,” Goldstein said. “It’s great having their support.” These Rockets have three top scorers in Barney, Weis and Paige Velliquette, who leads the team with 34 goals, a defense led by goalkeeper Ivy Martin, and chemistry that helps the players to maintain a cohesiveness and focus. “It was really great (to get to regionals) and I’m just so happy that we’ve made it this far,” senior co-captain Amanda Hetrick said. “I hope we can keep this going.” Hetrick said the group’s camaraderie and her role as an upperclassmen is meant to help the freshmen and sophomores feel like they’re a part of the group. “We all get along really well,” Hetrick said. “There isn’t really any conflict, and when there is, it’s taken care of. We all depend on each other and work together as a team. I think our job (as seniors) is to make the (younger players) feel comfortable. We always try to make them feel welcome and never put them down.” When it comes to team chemistry, Goldstein says this bunch has it. “This group of girls gets along so well together, they communicate so well. They’re all friends. It’s no surprise to see a senior with one of the freshman. They’re constantly interacting with each other,” Goldstein said. In all, the Rockets had three first team (Barney, Velliquette, Karis Dewalt) and
two second-team (Martin, Hetrick) AllSandusky Bay Conference selections with Weis, Maddy Rathbun, Hannah Hess, Noelle Petersen and Emily Winters earning honorable-mention status. Oak Harbor, which runs a 4-4-2 formation, has Martin in goal with Dewalt, Rathbun, Hess and Petersen playing defense. The starting midfielders are, from left to right, Winters, Hetrick, Barney and Ally Croy with Eriel Davis, Tessa Tyburski, Brittany Watkins and Addie Barton backing them up. And the starting forwards, who are Alexa Weis and Velliquette, are sometimes spelled by the likes of Nikki Weis, Miki Blunt, Mackenzie Auger and Emily Kamann, some of whom have also seen action at midfield. Despite having a loaded freshman class, the Rockets had to replace a number of key players like Amber Burnette and Makayla Carpenter, their top two scorers last year, and Jordan Giesler, Sidney Allen, Sydney Street, Kelsey Lacer and Erin Bryant — five of whom were starters last season. Goldstein credits her three seniors, Hetrick, Hess and Nikki Weis, all captains, with maintaining a focus on their goals. “I think (the seniors) have stuck together and supported each other,” Goldstein said. “They make it evident that they want to finish this year strong and they aren’t going to sit back. They aren’t letting anybody slack.”
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