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Celina's Alexis Siefring (16) tries to put a shot past Wapakoneta's Jordyn Kendig in Tuesday's Division III district semifinal in Elida. Siefring scored the lone goal of the match in overtime to send the Bulldogs to the district final on Thursday.
ELIDA - If you loved soccer, then Elida was the place to be Tuesday. After the hosts used four goals from Lexie Good to rally past St. Marys 4-3 in overtime, Celina battled Wapakoneta for 100 minutes before Alexis Siefring's goal in double overtime lifted the Bulldogs to a 1-0 win.
St. Marys' season ends at 11-6-2, while Celina will take on Maumee in the district championship back at Elida Thursday.
The late game proved the most physical of the day, as Celina used the late winner to get past the Redskins.
"Obviously, not the way you want to game plan to try and win. You're hoping to win in regulation. But credit to Wapak, they just continued to battle the entire game and did not make it easy," said Celina coach David Hammons.
Celina opened on the front foot and took the first five shots of the match, but a tough Wapakoneta defense did everything to get in the way. After the early wave from Celina wore out, the 'Skins gained a little momentum over the final 25 minutes, but neither team could find a goal. Celina's Kirsten Garrity did have the best chance of the half with five minutes to go, but her shot from the wing was just wide.
Celina's Kirsten Garrity (6) shoots as Wapakoneta's Emory Preston (17) comes in to defend.
The Redskins carried their late momentum into the second half, but the game slowed into a battle for position. Passes were lofted back and forth as both teams looked to set up good attacks, but still nothing came either way.
Again Celina ended the half with a great chance, but an outside the box shot rattled off the post and was cleared.
The first sudden-death overtime saw both teams playing cautiously. Celina had just two shots, both were saved, while the Redskins had just one find the target with a simple save from Alaina Vehorn. After the 15 minutes were up, it looked as if the game was destined for penalties.
But just three minutes into the second overtime, Siefring found the net. After gathering the ball and racing down the right wing, she took an ambitious shot that was placed just over the keeper and across the goal into the top corner. A dogpile ensued as players ran onto the field and the wait was finally worth it.
"We knew it was going to take something special to get in. To Alexis' credit she's been doing it all season, had another game winner against Bath, which was reminiscent of this. just getting free and being able to place it," said Hammons. "We rode that hand all season and, and we're not going to shy away from it now, and to her credit, she stayed in the game and finished it for us."
St. Marys' Braelyn Baker (7) tries to keep the ball away from Elida's Gianna Gudakunst.
An aggressive start from St. Marys powered the team to a 3-0 lead just 30 minutes into the match, but Western Buckeye League player of the year Lexie Good played up to her name, as her four goals gave the Bulldogs the win in overtime.
It was a dream start for the Roughriders, as their second shot of the match found the back of the net. A cross from Braelyn Baker found Claire Turner, who poked it in for the lead 10 minutes in.
The second goal was via an indirect free kick, as a handball in the box set up a unique chance. With the Bulldogs' defense on the line, Kendal Davis snuck it under the wall and into the net with 25 minutes left in the half.
Turner made it a 3-0 game with Baker's cross again finding the senior in the box, who got it past the keeper at the 15:39 mark.
St. Marys' Ellianna Weigel (38) battles Elida's Delaney Blaine for control of the ball during Tuesday's district semifinal. Elida won 4-3 in overtime.
Good gave Elida some much-needed momentum with just two minutes left in the half, as she rushed past the defense on a ball from the midfield and easily put it into the net.
The momentum carried over into the second half for both Good and Elida, as just three minutes into the half she got her second. It was a replica of her first, with her speed playing a factor in a race with the defense, and again she calmly made it a 3-2 game with 37 minutes left.
13 minutes later, it was a tie match. Another through ball found her charging to goal, and while keeper Bella Hertenstein made the initial save, it rebounded back to Good who powered it in.
Despite both teams' surges late, neither found a goal over the final 20 minutes, and overtime came.
It did not take long, and a familiar face ended the match three minutes in. Good got the ball on the left wing and muscled past the Roughrider defense, before firing the shot past everyone and into the net to end it.
