Bucks Finish With District Final Berth and Seven All-Conference Honorees
MEDINA, Ohio - Buckeye High School Athletics’ varsity girls soccer team finished 12-5-2, reached the district final and earned seven CWC All-Conference selections during a season marked by shutouts and narrow victories. Carlie Gunkelman earned the conference’s Goalie of the Year honor.
The Bucks built momentum with four consecutive shutout victories that lifted their record from 2-3-2 to 5-3-2. Rya Fitzgerald, Tenley Winter and Maddie Wilhelm scored in a 3-0 win over Lakewood before Winter supplied both goals in a 2-0 victory over Rocky River, Buckeye’s first win against the Pirates since 2018. Wilhelm followed with a hat trick and Winter added two goals in a 6-0 win over Normandy. Buckeye then scored twice after halftime to defeat Ashland 2-0.
A 1-0 loss to Bay interrupted that stretch despite 10 saves from Gunkelman. The Bucks responded by winning their next six games heading into the postseason. Wilhelm scored off an assist from Brooklyn DiEgidio in a 1-0 road victory over Copley, with Gunkelman stopping all six shots on goal. Buckeye followed with a 6-0 Senior Night win over Valley Forge, spreading the scoring among five players, including Winter and Grace Pronik.
A 4-1 conference victory over Westlake featured second-half goals from Winter and Fitzgerald. Buckeye then defeated Gilmour Academy, ranked No. 2 in Ohio Division III by MaxPreps, 1-0. Winter scored the deciding goal, while Gunkelman made 12 saves against an opponent that held a 24-6 advantage in shots.
DiEgidio provided the only goal in a 1-0 win over North Olmsted on Oct. 14 to close the regular season. Gunkelman made six saves as the Bucks prevailed despite being outshot 15-12. Buckeye entered postseason play at 10-4-2 and finished second in the conference with a 6-1 league record.
The postseason brought another one-goal decision when Winter scored in overtime off an assist from Wilhelm to defeat Canfield 1-0 on Oct. 27. Buckeye outshot Canfield 15-5, and Gunkelman made one save to complete the shutout. The victory sent the Bucks to the district championship game against Gilmour Academy, setting up a rematch of their regular-season meeting.
Gunkelman and DiEgidio earned CWC All-Conference First Team recognition. Their season included decisive contributions at opposite ends of the field: Gunkelman recorded shutouts against Copley, Gilmour Academy, North Olmsted and Canfield, while DiEgidio supplied two assists against Normandy before scoring the regular-season finale’s lone goal.
Winter and Kendyl Dukarm received Second Team honors. Winter’s scoring included the two-goal performance against Rocky River and the overtime winner that secured the district final berth. Wilhelm, Fitzgerald and Pronik earned Honorable Mention recognition, completing Buckeye’s seven-player All-Conference group.
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