Toledo - Anthony Wayne senior Jared Russell did not want to see his Generals' season come to a an end so he took things into his own hands - Russell finished off any Springfield chance with a fantastic blast past Blue Devil senior goalkeeper Jacob Schultz in the 48th minute to give the Generals the only opportunity to win their 3rd straight District title under AW head coach Brian Billings. The Generals came out aggressive and setting the tone early with flurries in front of the Blue Devil net in the first half with senior AW forward Colin Mortemore putting two chances wide and just a bit high over the post from a ball sent in the box from senior Jacob Bores. But the Generals would not go out without a goal - in the 48th minute the Generals transitioned quickly up the field with a quick with a through ball to Jacob Bores and he would carry up the left flank to put a 'nut-meg' ball through a Springfield defender's legs and Russell finishing it off with a redirected finish to the far-post. Anthony Wayne would receive a penalty with under 20 minutes to play when junior defender Hunter Theis would see his shot stopped by Schultz giving Springfield new life - the Blue Devils would gain some momentum in the closing minutes with senior Blue Devil midfielder Sean Miller causing all types of chaos in front of the Generals net. With the closing seconds of the match - Springfield senior Steven Sekarek would send a dangerous ball to the far-post and junior General goalkeeper Brenden Vaughn under immense pressure calmly won the ball with lots of Springfield traffic looking to create a half-chance or opportunity to level the match at 1. "It's playoff soccer - we wanted to defend well and we knew they were good in the air on set pieces and had to make adjustments with moving the ball in the second half" said AW head coach Brian Billings. "We are excited to see Perrysburg and excited to see the NLL have 4 teams representing the league at such a high level". The Generals, who are on a District tear - winning the last three district titles and advancing to last season's state semifinal were not rattled by the moment "we have such a tough schedule and have seasoned players we can step in any game and not be intimidated - we are very happy with the body of work we have instilled in these young men today". The Generals (11-6-2) advance to Wednesday Regional semifinal at Central Catholic High School's Gallagher Athletic Complex where they will face NLL foe Perrysburg (11-3-4) who won in dramatic fashion over St. John's Jesuit 1-0 (4-3 on penalties) - both teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first NLL tilt earlier this season. Springfield, who advanced to their first ever District final bows out of the tournament with a 14-3-2 record.
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