Solon takes chances, shuts down Hudson High girls soccer to claim OHSAA district title
MACEDONIA — Coach Caleb Fortune said the 2022 season was the best in decades for Hudson girls soccer.
This fall, a young Explorers team was looking for an encore after last year's district title. The Explorers were the favorites, having scored 17 goals in their first two postseason games.
However, district finals have a history of not following the script.
Solon played near perfect tactics against Hudson, frustrating the Explorers' attack and scoring a 2-1 win in the Division I Northeast 3 district final Thursday at Nordonia's Boliantz Stadium.
According to Solon coach Lauren Wilson, Solon (13-5) claimed its first district title since 2011. Hudson finished the season 14-3-2.
"I'm super proud of our girls," Wilson said. "They had two goals this year: To win district and to beat Hudson. They accomplished both tonight."
The matchup was a revenge game for Solon, which lost 4-1 to Hudson on Oct. 11 in both teams' regular-season finale.
"I can't blame them. I think they created a lot of chances," Fortune said. "I think they were brave. It didn't quite fall our way today, but that's how it goes."
Solon's strategy was clear: Keep a tight defense in front of goal, counterattack and take advantage of set pieces.
It worked to perfection. Hudson controlled the wings and finished with 10-4 edge in shots on goal, but the Comets still prevailed.
"We definitely had a game plan. We played them in our last game of the season and took apart game film," Wilson said. "They executed our game beautifully. Hudson had an incredible young team. I think the future is very bright for them.
Hudson didn't help itself by allowing the underdog Comets to take an early lead.
Off a Hudson foul in the 17th minute, Solon's Mia Patriarco sent the free kick in to the box and Sophia Ryan headed it home.
"We worked on set pieces and doing all the little details in the game," Wilson said. "Sophia Ryan has been our go-to player all season."
After the goal, Hudson's pressure was constant, but its final pass or finishing let it down.
"We knew they'd be defensive," Fortune said. "We had chances, but we had to be a little bit calmer at this point. In those moments, you've got to have quality, because if you panic it may not happen."
When it did happen for Hudson in the 35th minute, the equalizer was a thing of beauty. Ava Bell danced through two Solon defenders and slid a pass into the goal mouth, allowing Mady Cline to tap the ball in, tying it at 1-1 at the half.
A tale of two penalty kicks decided the outcome.
Hudson had a chance to seize control in the 42nd minute when Solon was called for a hand ball in the box. However, Maya Lake put her shot wide right, missing her first penalty kick this season.
"I can't question their work rate," Fortune said. "Maya played a good game."
Thirteen minutes later, Solon made Hudson pay for the miss, as the Explorers were called for a hand ball in their box. Ryan took the penalty and buried her shot in the right side of the net in the 55th minute.
Hudson threw everything at Solon's goal in the last 20 minutes, but could not find a way past Solon goalkeeper Jordan Levenhagen, who finished with eight saves.
"I'd love to see us learn from this," Fortune said. "We'd like to go a bit further in the tournament and get experience, but with the players we have I'm proud of the season."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Solon cools Hudson High girls soccer's hot offense in district final
