The Wilmington High School girls soccer team came up short Thursday in its bid for a South Central Ohio League championship.
Wilmington and Chillicothe battled to a 0-0 draw at Alumni Field, giving the league title to the Lady Cavaliers. Wilmington needed a win to earn a three-way tie for the league championship.
“We want to thank all the fans and student body for their tremendous support tonight,” WHS coach Kerry Lewis said. “The atmosphere was electric. It was awesome. Unfortunately we came up a little short.
“Our previous three ties with Chillicothe, they were the better team. Not tonight. Chillicothe is very deserving of the SCOL title, but no question we were the better team on this night. We beat them everywhere except the scoreboard. We had our chances, but didn’t capitalize. We even hit the crossbar in the very first minute off a corner kick. We couldn’t be prouder of our girls. They played outstanding soccer. They played with heart and passion for 80 minutes. Our younger players have grown up. They’re playing like upperclassmen now. It’s been fun to watch these kids get better every week and grow as a soccer team. They’ve been very coachable all season.”
The best scoring opportunity for the Lady Hurricane in the second half came in the 47th minute when Jasmine Jamiel nearly won a footrace to the ball with the CHS goalkeeper.
Savannah Morgan had a direct kick in the 68th minute that came up empty. Wilmington had a late rush in the 79th minute that was broken up the Chillicothe defense.
Lewis said the senior class posted 40 wins, tied for the most wins by a class in school history with the class of 2016.
“It was a heart-breaking tie,” said Lewis. “I feel for our seniors (Cami Barton, Bridgette Thompson, Lyla Self, Savannah Morgan, Liberty Farris). They wanted to go out as champions. They’re all winners.”
At the other end, Self made a save to keep the match scoreless in the 79th minute.
“I don’t know the exact stats, but our shots and shots on goal differential was significant,” Lewis said. “Chillicothe rarely got a good look at our goal. Our defense was outstanding led by center-backs Sophie Burt and Jenna Victor. Our outside-backs — Claire Greenlees, Ashley Tissot, Bradeanna Arehart — were aggressive stepping to the ball and their one-on-one defending was spot on.”
