Granville girls soccer, Division I Avon battle to 1-1 deadlock
GRANVILLE ― Granville's girls soccer team hopes a tough tie in August is money in the bank for another long Division II postseason run in October.
The three-time state runner-up Blue Aces, who have made the state semifinals six times, welcomed perennial Division I district title contender Avon down from Northeast Ohio to Walter J. Hodges Stadium on Saturday, and came away with a 1-1 draw.
A third game in four days, combined with the heat from the turf, may have finally taken a toll on Granville (3-0-1), which allowed its first goal of the season after blitzing its first three opponents 24-0. The Eagles (2-1-1), with four big school district championships in the last seven years, forced the deadlock on a penalty kick with 15 minutes left, and were able to match the Blue Aces in the midfield with skill, size and physicality.
"It's not bad to experience a variety of games," coach Scott Forster said. "The reason we played on a Saturday, against a team from out of the area, is because in the tournament, we will play on Saturdays, on neutral fields against teams we haven't seen. Fortunately, during the season, we're able to see a variety of good teams with different styles, and this is the last time we will have three games in four games."
The Blue Aces had their chances. Freshman Ivy Miller beat the defense and got off a shot in the first half only to see it bounce off the crossbar. Avon's goalie was forced to make leaping stop of senior captain Ava Labocki's long blast.
Granville finally broke through with four minutes in the half, when junior Hope Mahl knocked home a rebound off senior captain Lyndy Van Horn's direct kick to make it 1-0.
"It was a perfect ball from Lyndy," Mahl said. "We had a lot of opportunities."
Most of those opportunities came in the first half, when the Blue Aces put six shots on goal to the Eagles' five. The defenses ruled the second half, although Granville nearly went up 2-0 when sophomore Ayla Cook's header hit the left post, off a Van Horn corner kick.
"We really haven't had a chance to work on set plays, but now, we'll get three days of practice," Van Horn said. "We played two tough teams in three days. We know what we did wrong, and we'll practice on what we need to do."
Avon earned a penalty kick with 15 minutes left, and Eagles senior Ariana Vakos, who started in goal before moving to the field, was able to cash it in, making it 1-1. Labocki had one last chance to give Granville the win, taking a 17-yard direct kick with 13 seconds left, but her shot sailed over the crossbar.
"Actually, this is the first game, including scrimmages, that Ivy Miller hasn't scored," Forster said. "Sydney (Lauffer) made some great saves, and she has a chance to be the best goalie we've had in years. We have a good mix of young and old."
Forster, assistant coach Zeke Hegenberger and the players all agreed Granville played a much better first half. They may have simply run out of gas.
"The second half, we lost our way a little bit," Forster told the team. "We played a lot of long balls and didn't connect as much as usual. We went forward with a lot of solo stuff."
Observed Van Horn: "We played way better in the first half. We were way too direct in the second and were shooting up the field instead of making passes. We played a lot better against Bexley (a 4-0 win on Thursday), but I think we were a little tired today. They (Avon) were very solid, all over the field."
On Saturday, the Blue Aces started five seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and a freshman. They also substituted freely and look to have good depth.
"The starters have played together for three years, so our chemistry is top notch," Van Horn said.
Mahl noted that Granville also has another big test coming up against Division I Olentangy Liberty.
"It was good to have a game like this at the beginning," she said. "It's definitely good to see what to expect in the tournament, and it prepares us for what is to come."
Forster's departing words to his team: "Don't leave here with your heads down."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville girls soccer, Division I Avon battle to 1-1 deadlock
