Girls soccer season comes to an end in state semifinals loss

MANSFIELD, Ohio—For the second time in three years, Avon’s girls soccer team ran into the buzzsaw known as the Columbus Watterson Eagles.

Two years ago, Watterson defeated Avon in a Division II state semifinal, 1-0, on its way to winning the state championship. On Tuesday, the two were at it again at Madison High School in another state semifinal, with Watterson exploding for four second-half goals to take a 4-0 decision. The 18-1-2 Eagles will face Hudson Saturday in the state final. The Explorers defeated Cincinnati St. Ursula in their semifinal, 3-2.

The final score was not really reflective of the game, as the teams played a very tight first 45 minutes, with neither team having an advantage or even a real scoring chance. There was only one shot on goal in the scoreless first half, and it came from Avon’s Delaney Moyer and was easily handled by Watterson goalie Josie Smith.

“We played well defensively (in the first half),” said Avon coach Attila Csiszar. “We played tight. We were on players. Were we playing as calm as we normally do? No, but they were pressing us. All in all, I think the intensity was there.”

Watterson finally got its first shot on goal 3 minutes into the second half, and it presented no challenge to Avon keeper Haylee Ostrander. But 2 minutes later, the match was turned completely around when Ostrander came out of the goalie box to comfortably clear a loose ball, but after the kick she was called for a foul when she engaged a Watterson player.

“They said there was maybe a foul afterwards, but I didn’t see it,” Csiszar said.

At any rate, Watterson had a free kick from about 22 yards out, and Ayden Goulet found the nets with a drive that went into the lower right corner of the goal, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

“When you give away a free kick right outside the box, they’re going to put it away,” Csiszar said. “Good teams put the ball in the back of the net.”

It had been more than a month since Avon had found itself behind an opponent, and the Eagles didn’t respond well. Less than a minute after the first goal, Ostrander attempted to clear the ball, but her kick was blocked by Addison Lucki. The ball deflected toward the Avon goal, and Lucki found herself all alone in front of a wide open, unguarded goal. Thus, in a span of about 55 seconds, the Avon was behind, 2-0.

“I think we got deflated after that first goal,” Csiszar said. “At that point in time, it was very deflating. We worked very hard, they get a free kick and put it away, and that’s what deflated us. Then it was just us playing catch up. When they get that first one, they’ve got the momentum. And that momentum carried. It was just very difficult to catch up after that first goal.”

It got even more difficult 10 minutes later when another defensive miscue by Avon led to another Watterson goal on a corner kick. As the ball came into the box, Ostrander called for it, but an Avon defender didn’t give her a clear view of the ball, which deflected off Ostrander’s hands to Watterson’s Stella Mauro, who sent it into the goal. Lucki got the final goal of the night on a similar play, cleaning up a cross that was not handled cleanly by Ostrander.

While the Avon defense struggled, the offense couldn’t muster anything, although the Eagles hit the crossbar twice. Leading scorer Sydney Thomas wasn’t able to use her exceptional speed to get loose, as she was surrounded by multiple defenders every time she touched the ball. It was the first time Avon had been shut out in 35 matches, a streak that goes back to a 3-0 loss to eventual state champion Whitehouse Anthony Wayne on September 6 of last year.

According to Csiszar, Watterson didn’t do anything unusual to shut down the Avon offense.

“It’s just that we played a very quality team,” he said. “They’re just fast. They were just beating us to the ball. They were coached up well and they were first to most of the balls.”

The loss marks the third consecutive season that Avon has at least gotten to the regional finals, but the Eagles have yet to break through and reach a state final. This is relatively young squad, which begs the question, just what needs to happen for Avon to earn a spot in the state final?

“Details,” Csiszar said. “No fouls. No free kicks. We just have to be smart on how we play. It’s all the details we talk about at practice.”