Lauryn Auchmuty of Columbus Grove shoots the ball against Evergreen in Port Clinton on Tuesday.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
PORT CLINTON — Columbus Grove’s 2-1 win over Evergreen in Tuesday’s D-V Regional Semifinal wasn’t a comeback story on the scoreboard, but for Lauryn Auchmuty, it was a story about getting back up.
With 6:44 left in the first half, Auchmuty collided with Evergreen keeper Ellie Nash, which caused her to land on a shoulder that was previously injured during a win over Bluffton.
Auchmuty stayed down on the turf for several minutes but eventually walked off under her own power, then re-entered the game in the second half and scored both of Columbus Grove’s goals to keep its postseason run rolling into the weekend.
What turned out to be a minor setback in the first half, set the stage for a major comeback, resulting in a last-minute victory for Columbus Grove.
“I wish I could take credit for it but that’s all her,” Columbus Grove coach Kyle Verhoff said of Auchmuty with a smile. “She’s the highest scorer on the team with the most assists on the team so she’s been extremely important to us.
“We’ve always been a second-half team. The girls always go out, dig deep and they’re always able to turn it around. Usually, someone in the last few minutes of the game, and a lot of times that’s Lauryn, steps up and takes care of business.”
Auchmuty broke a scoreless tie with 30:31 left in the second half but Evergreen responded at the 20:49 mark with a goal from Lyla Radel. For the next 10 minutes, the Vikings controlled field position and put plenty of pressure on Columbus Grove keeper Erianne Heffner. All to no avail.
After avoiding a number of close calls, including a free kick from Radel that bounced off the top crossbar, Columbus Grove scored with 3:36 left on the clock — Auchmuty’s second goal of the game.
The Bulldogs will travel to Mucci Field in Huron on Saturday to take on Kirkland, who defeated Kalida 2-1 on Tuesday night. The winner of that matchup heads to the final four and moves just two wins away from a State title.
“We’re still just having fun. Everything after districts is fun,” Verhoff said. “These girls are a heck of a good time. They’re giving their all and I’m really proud of them.
O-G heads back to Regional title game
BOWLING GREEN — Ottawa-Glandorf scored on an early corner kick play then let its defense do its job the rest of the way on Tuesday in a 1-0 Division IV Regional Semifinal win against Clear Fork.
“Defense was the name of the game for us,” O-G coach Michelle Maag said. “We’re a defense-first team, and I think that showed tonight.”
The win at Bowling Green High School put the Titans one win away from their fourth-straight trip to the state tournament. O-G (19-2) now faces Eastwood (10-8-3), a 3-0 winner against Hubbard in the other regional semifinal.
The Titans made it look easy early, scoring just 3 minutes and 11 seconds into the match on a set play. Delaney Duling delivered the corner kick right where it needed to be for Makenna Siefker, the Western Buckeye League player of the year, to head it into the net.
“It was a perfect ball right to my head,” said Siefker, the Titans’ all-time leading scorer who topped 100 career goals earlier this year. “It was right over the defenders, right over the keeper, and I saw an open space in the goal, so I just headed it into the open space.”
The goal seemed to wake up the Colts (14-5-2), who played the Titans evenly the rest of the way. The teams each had 17 shots on goal, even if Clear Fork got a late start.
Backup goalkeeper Libbie Niese recorded the shutout for the Titans, getting eight saves, including a rocket right at her with 27 seconds left in the match. She didn’t get her first save until 19 minutes into the match when Clear Fork lobbed a 40-yard kick that Niese fielded in front of the goal before taking contact from a Colt.
That didn’t deter the sophomore goalkeeper, who stepped in this postseason when the regular-season goalkeeper, WBL second-teamer Karsyn Erford, suffered an injury.
“It’s still my first year out here, especially coming in the tournament with Karsyn’s injury,” she said. “It was a little nerve-wracking, but I have a good team behind me. I know they’ve got my back.”
Historic season ends for DSJ
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP – The Delphos St. John’s girls’ soccer program reached a milestone this season.
Heading into Tuesday’s Division V Regional Semifinal against No. 1-ranked Cincinnati Madeira, Delphos St. John’s was making its first regional appearance since 2010.
St. John’s coach Emma (Boggs) Pohlman was on that 2010 regional team that lost in the semifinals.
On Tuesday, Madeira (17-1-2) showed why it is ranked No. 1 in Division V as it recorded an 8-0 shutout against St. John’s at Shawnee.
The Blue Jays ended their season with a record of 11-10.
Madeira possessed the ball for most of Tuesday’s game and had 19 shots on the goal, while St. John’s could not muster a single shot in the shortened contest. When Madeira extended its lead to 8-0 less than 10 minutes into the second half, the game was halted due to the “Mercy Rule”.
“Coming into this game, it was a milestone for our program to start with,” Pohlman said. “We had the most (defensive) pressure we have had all season (against Madeira). We haven’t had those moments where we only get a second to make a decision. So, we’ll try to learn from it.
“Even knowing what they (Madeira) were going to do, it was tough to stop them. They’re that good. You can try to stop them, and they still find ways to find the back of the net. It wasn’t anything we didn’t expect and weren’t prepared for. Sometimes, you just give credit to the other team.”
GIRLS SOCCER RESULTS AND SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Oct. 29
D-V Regional Semifinal at Clyde
Kirtland 2, Kalida 1
D-V Regional Semifinal at Port Clinton
Columbus Grove 2, Evergreen 1
D-V Regional Semifinal at Shawnee
Cincinnati Madeira 8, Delphos St. John’s 0
D-IV Regional Semifinal at Bowling Green
Ottawa-Glandorf 1, Clear Fork 0
D-III Regional Semifinal at Tiffin
Celina 2, Sandusky Perkins 0
Today
D-V Regional Final at Huron
Columbus Grove vs Kirtland, 12 p.m.
D-II Regional Final at Sandusky
Celina vs Medina Highland, 12 p.m.
D-V Regional Final at Bowling Green
Ottawa-Glandorf vs Eastwood, 7 p.m.
