Granville girls leave little doubt on outright LCL soccer title
PATASKALA ― Watkins Memorial's somewhat tricky grass field has not been an easy place to play for some talented Granville girls soccer teams in recent seasons.
But on Thursday, with the Licking County League championship on the line, the Blue Aces exorcised those demons with an impressive 3-0 victory for the outright title and a big momentum boost for the upcoming tournament.
"I could not be more proud of you," coach Scott Forster told them after Granville (10-2-4, 7-0) put up 13 shots on goal to just four for the Warriors, and had 12 corner kicks to only four by Watkins (10-4-2, 5-2).. "This field is hard to play on. You squashed it all right away, and kept your foot on the gas."
Warriors' coach Ben Schenko saw scoring chances come few and far between for his club, as the Blue Aces controlled possession time and kept the ball mostly in the Watkins end with stellar defense. But he was not displeased with the effort.
"They're a great team," Schenko said. "They're well coached and have great players who play well together. I never mind losing to a great team when you put as much heart into it as we did. Sometimes, the other team is just better than you. There's a reason that every year they're one of the best teams in central Ohio, and this will absolutely help us get ready for the tournament."
Despite their dominance, the Blue Aces led just 1-0 at halftime as Madison Skeese, the Warriors' 6-foot-3 goalie, turned aside seven shots, including a few from point-blank range. And Granville didn't score until 2:22 in the half, on junior Hope Mahl's goal off an assist from freshman Ivy Miller.
"Maddie broke her wrist on the first day of July, had surgery and started out the year still hurt," Schenko said of Skeese, being recruited by both Division I and II colleges. "She's just really started to get back into it, and it was good to see. She played great."
Senior Rilyn Warner had three second-half saves.
But with the Blue Aces not letting senior standout Jaylyn Thornton, who has 28 goals, or any other of the Watkins threats get anywhere near the goal, it was only a matter of time before they pulled away.
"Everyone tries to stop Jaylyn, but we couldn't get the ball to our other forwards either," Schenko said.
With 22:56 left, senior Lyndy Van Horn found Miller for a score and 2-0 lead. She has 13 goals and 13 assists. Then, with 2:48 to play, senior Ava Labocki tallied her team-high 15th goal, off Van Horn's team-leading 23rd assist.
"Our defense has played great all year, and we locked them down tonight," Van Horn said. "Stepping to the ball was better for us, and we didn't let them get the ball to their feet. Our short-third passing has really gotten better these last couple of games, and we just have to find ways to get the ball into the back of the net."
Added Mahl: "There was a lot building up to this moment, and we were really prepared today. We knew who we had to shut down, and we were super clean with our passing in the final third."
Forster said the timing of this annual showdown is always good, because it feels like a tournament game.
"It's the most important regular season game, every year," he told the Blue Aces. "It's always a nerve-wracking game. But you knew what had happened before, and you put it behind you. We weren't sharing anything this year. It was a massive effort from everyone, and you guys did everything really well. They got nothing going in the run of play."
Seniors Van Horn, Labocki, Allison Tarone, Vivian Long and Audrey Nolan, have combined with young talent Miller, freshman classmate Ella Dills and sophomores Sydney Lauffer in goal (four saves), Alana Snyder, Raegan Timmons and Ayla Cook to again make Granville a tough out in the postseason.
"Right now, we're coming together at the end, and everyone is really connecting," Van Horn said. "The younger players are now immersed in the older players' style."
740-704-7973
Instagram: @dfweidig
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville girls leave little doubt on outright LCL soccer title
