Perrysburg aiming for second final four appearance - opponent Rocky River Magnificat have history with Yellow Jackets

Toledo - Perrysburg is looking to do something very special on Saturday afternoon at Sandusky Perkins High School - looking to get back to their 2nd state final four in three seasons.  Back in 2012, the Yellow Jackets did something no other girls' team in northwest Ohio has ever done and that is win a Division I state title - not many familiar faces are left from that team but a few names that ring a bell and have a part of the reason why the Jackets are in this position again. Seniors Allex Brown and Lindy DeLong have been a major reason why this side has seen a lot of success this fall and their unselfishness has given this Jackets team a major boost throughout the tough tournament draw.  Perrysburg (16-2-2) has had some very tough games down the stretch from the semifinal of the district to when they step on the field against defending regional champions Rocky River Magnificat - the Yellow Jackets defeated Ashland in the semifinal (4-2) and then had to get a late AW own goal with under five minutes to play in regulation to knock off a red-hot Generals team who had not lost in nearly a month and a half by a score of 1-0, and in the regional semifinal senior Allex Brown used her magic to get a late game-winner with :22 left in regulation to knock off NLL rival Sylvania Northview - but head coach of Perrysburg Jorge Diaz knows how hard this has been throughout the tournament. "These games are always tough and it is hard to beat a team twice. We were fortunate to beat both Anthony Wayne and Northview twice, but they were very competitive games that could have went either way" said Diaz about their tournament run.  With some of the holdovers from 2012 still in the program, it has brought a bit of that tournament experience you need in tight games "This the fun part of high school soccer are these types of games, your kids are going to play hard for 80 minutes no matter what, In my time at Ottawa Hills when we made our run to the state title and back in 2012, you can share those experiences with younger players who have not yet played in this type of an environment and the only thing you can hope is they do not let the emotions get their focus out of place" said Diaz.  The Yellow Jackets attack has been the reason why they are in the position they are in - led by senior veteran Allex Brown (19g, 7a), junior Beth Glowacki (11, 1a) and sophomores Anna Kirby (10g, 3a) and Leah Tilton (5g, 4a) give the Jackets the spark they need up front - midfield players junior Erika Joldrichsen and sophomore Hailey Wenzelman with the combo give you pace/creativity and work rate/effort - together they compliment each other very well. In the back, the Yellow Jackets have been very steady with junior Bri Boyd, Emily Baer, sophomore Maggie Morse and the senior captain Lindy DeLong - DeLong is dangerous in many ways especially with restarts, as a defender DeLong has tallied 2 goals on the season with 4 assists. "They [Magnificat] have great players and Gretchen is a quality coach. We will be ready for a fight on Saturday afternoon, this is a big momemt for both of us to have a chance to play in the final four - like them we know this level very well and we have experience. This is going to be a great game" said Diaz. In the first matchup with Mags the Jackets lost 1-0 and felt that they did not play to their level "We know we can play with them but we have to be better defending and marking their players in the middle. They are a very technical side and will give you problems if you can not press them. Hopefully this time we are better prepared and can finish some of the opportunities that we create in the run of play" said Diaz.

Rocky River Magnificat (17-2-1) is no stranger to this level - last year the Blue Streaks defeated Anthony Wayne (3-1) to reach the final four...only to fall short to eventual state champion Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in the semifinal (0-1). Mags have had a new attitude this fall and have seen the change since getting to a high point last fall - "Last year was a fun year with great success [state semifinal] but we had some tough losses to some really good teams like Strongsville, Perrysburg and Rocky River. We are a confident group this year and this year we had big wins including Perrysburg, Rocky River and Holy Name" said second-year head coach of the Blue Streaks Gretchen Micklitsch - "The last time out with Perrysburg it was a very, very close match and it has been that way the last two seasons we have played." said Micklitsch. And she was correct when she said it has been very close matches with the Yellow Jackets - both teams have split with each other with a pair of 1-0 wins for the both of them.  Magnificat poses a a very strong attack led by senior forward Sydney Duggan (22g, 5a) and senior midfielder Sarah Lawrence (9g, 5a) who orchestrates the attack for the Blue Streaks - senior goalkeeper Kaleigh Piscioneri has been quality for Mags recording 13 shutouts on the season with a goals against average of 0.60.  Micklitsch has praised her team on their ability to show depth this fall "We have been able to use many different combinations this year with rotating players in and being able to see what they can give us. We play such a tough schedule and it is good to see players being able to come in and respond - we are playing well and we stress about peaking towards the end of the season. Playing those tough games in the regular season has prepared us for a run in the tournament, I am very proud of the girls and their progress" said Micklitsch.  If Mags look to beat the Yellow Jackets they now they will have to be better than in their previous game against Copley that saw that match go to penalties and Mags getting the the 4-3 win over the Indians Tuesday night. "That was such a tough game and it can be hard to turn around and do it again - but they have to recover and start right back at it again if they want to achieve their goals". "We have to be prepared from the pressure they [Perrysburg] will throw at us so being organized will be key for us". said Micklitsch.  The winner of this match will move on to the Division I state semifinal at a site to be determined next Tuesday evening against the winner of the Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit/North Royalton regional final taking place at Brecksville-Broadview Hts H.S. - this game can be seen on tape delay on BCSN with Ben Wilcox and former Ottawa Hills head coach Francis Stephens on the call. 

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Generals stun Yellow Jackets - Black's game-winner with 6:42 remaining in match sends AW to second straight regional final

Toledo - Anthony Wayne senior Evan Black came up big for the Generals at the right time - the midfielder finished a one-time ball from senior winger Jacob Bores with 6:42 remaining in the match to give the Generals' a 1-0 win and their second trip to the regional final. "I'm at a loss for words" humbly said Black - the Generals came out as aggressors in the first half of the match seeing a lot of opportunity in front of the Perrysburg. Anthony Wayne senior midfielder Zach Harris thought he saw a shot that he placed across the mouth of goal hit the far-post bar and bounce back to the hands of senior Yellow Jackets goalkeeper Kyle Rowan - but more drama was to come. Both teams would see goals get called back midway through the second half; Perrysburg's Matt Nordhaus thought his flicked header was going in the back of the net until senior winger Kyle Wyrick poked the ball over the head of Generals goalkeeper junior Brendan Vaughn when the assistant referee called Wyrick for being in an offside position before the ball was flicked to him, and then the Generals' Black would see his shot that was nicely placed to the nearpost called back due to him being in an offside position. Moments later Black would redeem himself in a big way to give the team the game-winner. "It's stressful this time of year" said Anthony Wayne head coach Brian Billings "But I thought we defended well and created the opportunities we needed and finished on the one that mattered the most". Anthony Wayne (12-6-2) advance to Sandusky Perkins H.S. saturday afternoon where they will face off with the number one team in Ohio and top-five in the country (according to the NSCAA and TopDrawerSoccer) Copley (19-0-1) who had to fight and get a 1-0 result over previously unbeaten Avon at Macedonia Nordonia H.S. last night - Copley handled the Generals the first time around 5-0 but Brian Billings thinks this may be a different team heading into saturday's final "We have improved and gotten a lot better since that [Copley] loss. We know they are a good team and I feel we can compete with them right now" said Billings.  As for Perrysburg, they finish the season with a 11-4-5 record and looking for bigger and brighter things next fall - not a bad start for first-year head coach Brandon Decker and his Yellow Jacket program.

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Anthony Wayne, Perrysburg looking to take that next step - An All-NLL affair will take place in the Regional semifinal

Toledo - Two storied high school soccer programs will take the pitch at Central Catholic High School's Gallagher Athletic Complex looking to take that next step in the OHSAA state soccer tournament.  Anthony Wayne (11-6-2) have been battle tested throughout the year - starting out of the gate slow with losses to St. John's Jesuit (0-3), top-rated in Division I Copley (0-5), Medina (0-1) and the NLL champion Sylvania Northview (1-2) - the Generals found their stride towards the end of the year when it means the most. " We are not intimidated to go and play anyone in the state" said third year head coach Brian Billings "at the end of the day it makes us better and has prepared us to make deep runs in the tournament". Billings and his Generals should be very familiar with the Regional level since they have been part of the last three regional semifinal matches - most recently in 2013 defeating St. John's Jesuit (2-1) and Medina (1-0) to win their second regional title in school history, last time was in 2008 when the Generals advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history - but Billings credits the experience of his players getting to this point of the season "We have very seasoned players that most programs do not have - our kids have seen many teams ahead of them make it to this point and it has become the culture out here within our program".  Anthony Wayne back in late August drew Perrysburg 0-0 and the Generals top man knows to expect a great match " They [Perrysburg] are a quality opponent, they defend well as a unit and Kyle [Rowan] is one of the top goalkeepers in the area - we know it could be a tight game but we have to ready for those moments in the match" said Billings. As for the Yellow Jackets - one of the most storied soccer programs in northwest Ohio they should be at this level every year but it has been unlucky for them at times in the tournament. Last year the Jackets were nearly 20 seconds away from hoisting the District title until Freshman Zachary Buescher spoiled the plans with a game-tying finish and then the Titans snatched a game-winner in extra time from Adam Naayers sent Perrysburg home disgusted and hungry for a different result in 2014. After longtime head coach Mike Timbrook retired after last season the Yellow Jackets hired a young and ambitous coach with experience in Brandon Decker; Decker comes from a rich tradition in the Richfield Revere program who were Division II State champions last fall under head coach Sandor Jakob - so Decker was the right fit to take Perrysburg back to where they belonged. "When getting here - it took our boys sometime to get to our potential - we play some of the best competititon in the state and we know that we are able to play with anyone on anyday" said Decker. Perrysburg (11-3-5) played a daunting regular season schedule including playing the same opponent Anthony Wayne lost to in the regular season top-rated in the state and in the country Copley. "I am very familiar with Copley and how to play against them - we were in that game and gave up a soft goal on a set-piece...from that moment I knew these boys were capable to play with anyone" - the Yellow Jackets looked to have turned a corner after picking up a big road win over St. John's Jesuit (1-0) and then drew the fifth-rated team in Ohio Sylvania Northview (1-1). "Coming into the tournament we have been preaching two things - you can not be emotional and just do your job to the best of your abilities" said Decker and the Jackets have by defeating Sylvania Southview in a tight match 3-2 in the sectional final, beating Ashland 2-0 in the district semifinal and then the game they wanted in the district final against St. John's Jesuit by deciding that fixture in penalties winning it 4-3 after finishing the regulation and extra time finished at 0-0. One reason why is the defending combination of seniors Jacob Kirby and Caleb Oeder and the goalkeeping of senior Kyle Rowan - "Kirby and Caleb have been very steady during the [tournament] run and Kyle has been great, making the saves that matter the most in matches" said Decker.  For the Yellow Jackets to knock off the defending champions it will take a team effort - Anthony Wayne is playing great soccer at the moment with the defending of senior Chris Jackson, Austin Adams, junior Hunter Theis and sophomore Tyler Mangotic, on the attacking side the Generals have been steady with seniors Zach Harris, Colin Mortemore, Jared Russell and Jacob Bores all holdovers from that 2013 final four Generals team who are very seasoned and experienced at this level.  "It will be a great game - all it takes at this level is one clear chance and capitalizing on it - you have to figure both of us will get that chance" said Decker.  

You can catch this Regional semifinal tonight on tape delay at 11PM on BCSN with Mason Lowry and former Ottawa Hills head coach Francis Stephens on the call from Central Catholic High School.

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Yellow Jackets win on late drama - Brown's finish in the closing moments lift Perrysburg to Regional Final

Millbury - With all of the negative issues surrounding the Perrysburg women's soccer program the last 72 hours - a positive came and it came with dramatic fashion. Senior forward Allex Brown finished off a brilliant finish with 22 seconds remaining in the match to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 win and their second Regional final appearance in three seasons.  Before the Brown goal, the match was looking to head towards extra time - in the first half Sylvania Northview came out with reckless abandoned and looked to create a lot of opportunities, while Perrysburg was more on the defending end of thing but looked dangerous when getting into the attack.  Sylvania Northview saw junior Karlie O'Keefe and senior Allison Rieger create opportunities but shots went wide,  while the Yellow Jackets were not able to connect with their senior forward Brown and sophomore Leah Tilton.  Both goalkeepers were not super busy inside of their penalty area but did have to see some balls out in heavy traffic by both teams pressing the goal.  In the second half the game picked up with physical play and scoring chances for both - Northview would have to play with ten after senior Hannah Creech was sent off after an infraction.  Perrysburg began to pick up the pressure and gain more and more momentum, Allex Brown would start it off with a great effort weaving through the Northview defense and just pushing a shot past Northview goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve and then moments later Perrysburg junior Lauren Culp would see her effort hit the top bar over the outstretched hands of Duwve.  Minutes after the Culp shot off the bar - Northview would see a chance come off the top bar and Perrysburg clearing deep in in their own territory...the game was waiting for that defining moment and with 22 seconds left in the contest Brown beat her Northview defender Abbie Bacon and blasted a shot to the far post over the head of Duwve to give Perrysburg the game-winner.  "It was almost like slow motion in reality - I saw it sail over her [Duwve] fingertips and hit the back of the net and I was just super excited" said Brown "We had a couple of players out this game and we talked about fighting for our family - and the soccer team is my family and we worked really hard and kept fighting and pressuring and its a whole 80 minutes you gotta play 80 minutes". Perrysburg head coach Jorge Diaz was impressed with the effort shown by his ladies on the field against a quality opponent "The biggest thing for us was taking care of O'Keefe - she was doing a great job creating a lot of them in the attack, offensively we just had to move the ball better and find feet and be dangerous" said Diaz. "Allex Brown was a difference maker today, she finished the opportunity we needed to get us to the next match". Perrysburg had to discipline and play without 3 key players in the semifinal but coach Diaz was very positive about the outcome of the players participating "We gathered the girls together and said we can crumble or come together - we needed players to step up and show their true character and these kids showed it and I am proud of their performance tonight". Sylvania Northview finishes the season at 13-5-2 and have nothing to hang their heads down - as for Perrysburg (16-2-2) they will advance to the Regional Final where they will play last year's Regional champion Rocky River Magnificat (17-2-1) at a site to be determined Saturday afternoon, Perrysburg was defeated by Magnificat on October 4th by a score of 1-0 but Final Four implications make this game a crap shoot.

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3 Perrysburg girls soccer players suspended for tonight's Regional Semifinal

Toledo - A staff writer from the Toledo Blade confirmed with Perrysburg Schools that 3 girls soccer players have been disciplined and banned from tonight's Division I Regional semifinal against NLL foe Sylvania Northview.  Perrysburg Schools declined to comment on the discipline and punishment that the student-athletes faced or are facing - names were also not released due to the privacy of the the students. Perrysburg (15-2-2) coming off a stellar 1-0 win over Anthony Wayne last Thursday in the District Final are looking to reach the Regional final for the second time in three seasons. Perrysburg head coach Jorge Diaz declined comment but said about the match tonight against Sylvania Northview "We are ready to go".

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Defending Regional Champions Anthony Wayne headline the NLL as an All-NLL affair will take place in the Regional Semifinals - Napoleon will take on Celina in Division II Regional Semifinal in Findlay Wednesday night

Toledo - The Northern Lakes League has had it fair share of quality teams since its existence in high school soccer and have seen teams have success in the OHSAA state soccer tournament.  In 2001, the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets under the direction of late head coach Pete Raffa reached the final, in 2012 Sylvania Southview under former head coach Chad Cody reached the final and in that same year the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets women's program brought northwest Ohio their first-ever state championship on the girls' side under co-head coaches Jorge Diaz and Margaret Bernard. On Tuesday night at Lake High School, the first two of 5 teams will take battle as the two top teams on the girls' side of the NLL Perrysburg (league champion, 15-2-2) will look to get their second win of the season against a very stout and red hot Sylvania Northview (league runner-up, 13-4-2) in the Division I Regional semifinal at Lake, Perrysburg won the first bout 2-0 at Cats Stadium at Northview, but the Lady Kats looking to make it count at the best time of the season. On Wednesday night - three NLL teams will play including two against each other; defending Region 2 champions Anthony Wayne (11-6-2) look to get past a Perrysburg team who has put it together at the right time. Both teams played to a scoreless draw back on August 26th and the Yellow Jackets had to go the distance on Saturday afternoon at Sylvania Southview by knocking last season's District champion St. John's Jesuit 1-0 (4-3 on penalties) to advance to the Regional semifinal - Anthony Wayne got a early second half goal from senior winger Jared Russell to dispose Springfield in other District final in Findlay Saturday afternoon. That win for the Generals gave them their 3rd straight District title (first in school history to win back-to-back-to-back) - the other team participating in the Regional semifinal is the Napoleon Wildcats.  Napoleon (14-6-0) defeated NLL foe Bowling Green in the Division II District final on Thursday evening at Central Catholic by a score of 3-0 to win their first district title since 2007 where former head coach Tim Carney took the Wildcats to the Division II State Final Four (first time in school history). The Wildcats will do battle with Celina (14-2-3) at Findlay's Elmer Graham Soccer Stadium Wednesday at 7PM - Celina who defeated St. Mary's Memorial 1-0 are looking to continue a storied run.  Whoever is the Northern Lakes League commissioner is must be very proud with the success of the student-athletes and coaches who have sacrificed and battled through 16 regular-season and now the tough tournament trail - best of luck to the NLL teams participating and representing northwest Ohio with highest level of class.

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Perrysburg looking to continue success as they prepare for a battle with NLL runner-up Sylvania Northview in Regional Semifinal

Toledo - Perrysburg head coach Jorge Diaz and Sylvania Northview head coach Rick Burgin are in very familiar territory - yes both these teams are a storied tradition in northwest Ohio as of late but tomorrow on the campus of Lake High School someone has to go home. Perrysburg (15-2-2) know this level very well as the last 4 years they have seen themselves in the Regional semifinal in 2011, winning the title in 2012 and advancing back to this same level here in 2014 - as for Northview they won their first Regional title and advanced to the State semifinal in 2011 (knocking out #1 Perrysburg 1-0)...but these teams want that chance to advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday at a site to be determined by the OHSAA. Both of these teams had to get by very tough opponents in the District final last Thursday with Perryburg holding off a pesky Anthony Wayne team that had won 11 straight games entering the final 1-0 on an Allex Brown goal and the Lady Kats had to go down to penalties to defeat Notre Dame Academy 2-1 (4-1 on kicks) in Findlay after senior Allison Rieger leveled the game with 20 minutes left in regulation.  "At this juncture of the tournament we stress what it means to have success and play hard and show effort" said Perrysburg coach Jorge Diaz "We know this team very well and know that we have to play our best game to advance to the next match" - Perrysburg defeated the Lady Kats 2-0 on October 8th and have looked very strong all the way through.  As for Sylvania Northview (13-4-2), the Lady Kats brutal regular season schedule has gotten them to this point and as they look to get to another Regional final it will take a quality game to knock off the NLL champions Perrysburg. Leading the way for the Jackets is senior veterans Allex Brown (FW) and Lindy DeLong (DF) - both of these young ladies know the moment and look to build to the strong body of work Perrysburg has put in these last 5 seasons - as for the Kats senior Allison Rieger has stepped up immensely with goals at the big moments of the game .  Seniors Megan Kupetz and Hannah Creech have done a terrific job in controlling the middle for the Lady Kats and their strong defense and junior goalkeeper Kathleen Duwve have been tough to break down and concede a goal on Duwve.  Both teams are very stout when it comes to defending and being organized - will be a terrific match on Tuesday night at Lake High School at 7PM and can be seen on tape delay on BCSN.

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Clay (Oregon) and Perrysburg girls headline key matches in tomorrow's District Semifinal

Toledo - Top seeds Clay (Oregon) and Perrysburg look to continue their success tomorrow in the District semifinals taking place at two different venues.  In Findlay, the Eagles will look to continue their perfect season but will face a tough test from last year's District champion and second-place TRAC foe Notre Dame Academy;  Clay took care of NDA in their regular season tilt 3-1 on three first half goals to take control of the TRAC championship they wrapped up on the final game in the conference by defeating Findlay 1-0. In the second semifinal will have the Lady Kats of Sylvania Northview taking on the Arrows of St. Ursula Academy - Sylvania Northview defeated the Arrows at Timberstone in September 1-0 in a contest that did not see many clear opportunities on goal except for the one senior Megan Kupetz was able to convert; as for the Arrows it has been an up-and-down season with injuries and inconsistency but expect the Arrows to give Northview all they can handle to advance to Thursday's final in Findlay.  In Sylvania on the campus of Timberstone Middle School - Anthony Wayne will look to continue their winning ways entering Monday evening's tilt with Findlay. Last year's District champion and Regional finalist are looking to play in their third straight district final but a feisty and hungry Findlay will look to spoil the Generals' run - in the second semifinal the Yellow Jackets of Perrysburg will take on the Ashland Arrows. Perrysburg who has been lead by their goal-scoring duo of senior Allex Brown and junior Beth Glowacki and strong defending from senior Lindy DeLong and junior Bri Boyd the Jackets will look to continue their postseason successes. Ashland will enter the semifinal with a record of 9-5-2 and look to give the Jackets all they can handle - so many quality games going on tomorrow and looking forward to see what two teams will propel themselves to the District final on Thursday.

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Sylvania Northview finish atop of the NWO Soccer Weekly Boys' Power Poll - Clay (Oregon) & Perrysburg share NWO Soccer Weekly Girls' throne

NWO Soccer Weekly Final Power Poll

Boys (All Divisions)

1. Sylvania Northview                                         13-0-2
2. Springfield (Holland)                                       12-2-2
3. St. John's Jesuit (Toledo)                                 10-5-0
4. Findlay                                                             12-4-0
5. Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse)                          8-6-2
    St. Francis de Sales (Toledo)                             9-5-1

Receiving votes: Perrysburg, Archbold, Ottawa Hills, Napoleon, MVCDS


Girls (All Divisions)

1. Clay (Oregon)                                                  13-0-2
    Perrysburg                                                        11-2-1
3. Sylvania Northview                                         10-4-2
4. Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse)                        10-3-3
5. Notre Dame Academy (Toledo)                        7-6-2

Receiving votes: St Ursula Academy (Toledo), Findlay, Lake (Millbury), Springfield (Holland)

Sylvania Northview boys' and Clay (Oregon) girls' still representing NW Ohio in final OSSCA State Poll

Toledo - OSSCA released their final state coaches' top ten poll and Sylvania Northview (12-0-1) from the NLL are representing the NW Ohio boys in the top ten sitting at number 5 in the Division I boys state poll with Findlay receiving votes.  In Division III on the boys side Archbold still receiving votes in the top ten.  On the girls side Clay (Oregon) have been in the top ten all season pushing up to number 3 in the Division I top ten poll with the Yellow Jackets of Perrysburg receiving votes and a spot out of the top ten.  Lake (Millbury) are receiving votes in Division II and have been for the majority of the season, the Lady Flyers will host the Generals of Anthony Wayne today and hope to gain a result before they enter the tournament.  

Check out the poll!!

OSSCA State Poll

Boys Division I
 1. Copley                                            12-0-1  99
 2. Mason                                             12-0-3  78
 3. Beavercreek                                       12-0-1  71
 4. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)                          10-2-1  69
 5. Northview (Sylvania)                              12-0-1  67
 6. Olentangy Liberty (Powell)                        12-1-2  53
 7. St. Xavier (Cincinnati)                           11-2-1  43
 8. Coffman (Dublin)                                  11-2-0  26
 9. Avon                                              12-0-2  24
10. Canal Winchester                                  13-0-1  15

Receiving votes: Hudson, Findlay, Ashland

 Boys Division II
 1. Revere (Richfield)                                13-1-1  99
 2. University School (Hunting Valley)                12-0-2  88
 3. St. Francis DeSales (Columbus)                     9-2-1  79
 4. Bay (Bay Village)                                 11-2-1  64
 5. Carroll (Dayton)                                   9-1-4  59
 6. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (Cuyahoga Falls) 9-2-2  54
 7. Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati)                 9-3-2  37
 8. Bellbrook                                          9-1-2  16
 9. Memorial (St. Marys)                               9-2-3  13
10. Lexington                                         10-3-1  12

Receiving votes: Dover, Wyoming, Bexley, Warren (Vincent), 
Archbishop Alter (Kettering), Granville, Wapakoneta

 Boys Division III
 1. Western Reserve Academy (Hudson)                  14-0-1  98
 2. Cincinnati Country Day School                     13-1-0  86
 3. Grandview Heights (Columbus)                      10-1-2  84
 4. Seven Hills (Cincinnati)                          11-1-2  65
 5. Worthington Christian School                      10-3-0  51
 6. Hiland (Berlin)                                   11-2-1  46
 7. Mansfield Christian School                         9-2-2  32
 8. Zane Trace (Chillicothe)                          11-2-1  28
 9. Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati)             9-3-1  27
10. Bishop Rosecrans (Zanesville)                      9-2-2  11
    Elyria Catholic                                    7-6-0  11

Receiving votes: Wheelersburg, Archbold, 
Lake Center Christian School (Hartville)

 Girls Division I
 1. Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls)                     12-0-1 100
 2. Centerville                                       13-0-0  75
 3. Clay (Oregon)                                     12-0-1  72
 4. Brunswick                                          9-1-2  62
    Mason                                             12-1-1  62
 6. Coffman (Dublin)                                   8-1-4  52
 7. Olentangy Liberty (Powell)                        12-1-1  40
 8. Medina                                             9-2-3  34
 9. Hudson                                            12-1-0  23
10. Twinsburg                                          8-1-4  12

Receiving votes: Perrysburg, Zanesville, Strongsville, 
Bishop Watterson (Columbus), Howland (Warren), Oak Hills (Cincinnati)

Girls Division II
 1. Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati)                12-1-0 100
 2. Canfield                                          11-3-0  85
 3. Chagrin Falls                                     11-1-1  76
 4. St. Francis DeSales (Columbus)                     9-1-4  60
 5. Clear Fork (Bellville)                            10-1-2  58
 6. Tippecanoe (Tipp City)                            12-1-1  37
 7. Indian Hill (Cincinnati)                           9-3-3  34
 8. Archbishop Hoban (Akron)                           9-3-2  19
 9. Jackson                                           13-0-0  14
10. Bath (Lima)                                       13-0-0  13
    Holy Name (Parma Heights)                          3-3-2  13

Receiving votes: Bishop Hartley (Columbus), St. Vincent St. Mary (Akron), 
Lake (Millbury), Rocky River, Norwalk, Granville, Monroe, Ontario, 
West Holmes (Millersburg)

Girls Division III
 1. Badin (Hamilton)                                  12-1-1  90
 2. Hawken (Chesterland)                              11-0-2  87
 3. Lehman Catholic (Sidney)                          11-0-2  70
 4. Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati)            10-1-4  62
 5. Grandview Heights (Columbus)                      12-0-2  52
 6. Elyria Catholic                                   10-1-3  36
 7. Worthington Christian School                      10-1-2  27
 8. Lynchburg-Clay                                    12-1-1  26
 9. Western Reserve Academy (Hudson)                  10-3-3  25
10. Ottawa-Glandorf                                   12-1-1  24

Receiving votes: Troy Christian School, Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown), 
Manchester (Akron), Fairbanks (Milford Center), Huron, 
Bishop Fenwick (Middletown), Bishop Rosecrans (Zanesville), 
Cincinnati Country Day School, Van Buren

Springfield gets a late equalizer from Siers to draw Perrysburg 1-1

Holland - On a cool fall evening Springfield played host to the Yellow Jackets of Perrysburg in a battle of the second top spot in the NLL.  Sylvania Northview who wrapped up the NLL title with their 2-1 win over Bowling Green gave Springfield and Perrysburg to battle for the top second slot behind the #4 ranked Wildcats - the game started at a frantic tempo with Yellow Jackets senior Derek Zimmer getting a clear shot to goal before senior Blue Devils goalkeeper Jacob Schultz came up big with one of his many saves of the evening.  But Springfield would get good opportunities from senior winger Jerome Bernard - one scuffed to Yellow Jackets goalkeeper Kyle Rowan and another that barely went wide to give Springfield an early 1-0 lead; Perrysburg seniors Tyler Wenzelman and Kyle Wyrick saw chances get broken up once again from Schultz and in the 33rd minute Bernard once again testing Rowan and had his shot parried away by Rowan.  Controversy struck Perrysburg's way on a free kick from Wyrick that was placed brilliantly past Schultz and was called back due to an infraction before the kick in the 38th minute. Second half was set for a classic ending with Perrysburg once again coming out as aggressors with Wyrick and junior Andrew Bosworth having chances just go wide and saved by Schultz but in the 55th minute Yellow Jackets senior Tom Corcoran would score on a 35-yard half-volley blinder past Schultz to give Perrysburg a 1-0 cushion.  Springfield kept knocking at the door with chances from seniors Sean Miller, Joe Yeager and Steven Sekerek - in the 74th minute Nick Yeager delivered a free kick into the box where senior center back Josh Siers saw his header hit the bar but was called offside.  Less than 2 minutes after Siers' header off the bar the Devils were given one more opportunity and cashed it in at the right time with Siers breaking free and nicely placing a flicked header past Rowan from Nick Yeager to level the game at 1-a-piece. There were small flurries under 2 minutes to play but both teams would have to leave the field with a 1-1 draw. Springfield first-year head coach Andrew Screptock was very pleased with his boys play "We have played very quality teams at the end of the season to prepare us for a very good Perrysburg side - and we were very pleased with the competitiveness of our boys - our group is very well put together and looking forward to making a run in the tournament" said Screptock.  Springfield (10-2-2) will look to rebound after this against Central Catholic in a non-league tilt and finish off their NLL schedule with Maumee.  Perrysburg first-year head coach Brandon Decker was pleased but knows what his team is capable of doing - "It took us 40 minutes to string some things together and when you play teams that pressure you (like Springfield) it can throw you off" said Decker "looking at our schedule we have played a lot of teams in the top ten and we have to put the pieces together and we are playing with those teams, if we come out and play 80 minutes we are a tough team and we have seen some tough teams throughout the way (including Springfield)". Perrysburg (7-3-4) will close their season next Tuesday against the #4 ranked team in Division I Sylvania Northview in a highly anticipated tilt.

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Upstart Perrysburg pays Springfield (Holland) a visit in a important NLL match

Toledo - Springfield (Holland - # 4 in NWO Soccer Weekly Power Poll) will host the Yellow Jackets of Perrysburg (#3 in NWO Soccer Weekly Power Poll) in a much important NLL tilt this evening at Springfield High School.  The Jackets, winners of their last 3 matches including wins over two traditional state powers Jackson (Massillon) and St. John's Jesuit (#5 in NWO Soccer Weekly Power Poll) are on a tear and looking to keep themselves in the discussion as one of the top teams in the area - all of their success starts up front with terrific play from senior forward Kyle Wyrick and junior Andrew Bosworth and Logan Giesige finishing chances and giving many opposing back four defenses a lot of headaches.  Anchoring the midfield is senior Tyler Wenzelman and sophomore Elion Damsi who have been very impressive as of late and senior defender Jacob Kirby and goalkeeper Kyle Rowan have come up big against quality attacks coming at them.  As for Springfield, coach Andrew Screptock has kept his Blue Devils very consistent - coming off a tough loss this past weekend Canal Winchester (1-3) the Blue Devils look to collect a signature win against a very quality side in Perrysburg. Leading the way for the Devils is senior forward Sean Miller (7g, 6a), senior midfielder pair/twins Joe and Nick Yeager and the anchoring the defense is senior center back Josh Siers.  Senior attacker Steven Sekerek and Jerome Bernard have been handfuls on the outside with their speed, size and strength on the ball - this could possibly be the best all-around side Springfield has ever had in years; tonight it is a big one over in Holland with a huge tournament resume builder on the line.

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Brown's 1st half Hat Trick paces Perrysburg over St. Ursula Academy in NWO showdown of elites

Toledo - Two very storied high school soccer programs met Monday afternoon with a lot to gain to their tournament resumes - for Perrysburg they were very fortunate to gain their ninth win of the season in a 4-1 rout of St. Ursula Academy.  The game started in a frantic pace with St. Ursula seeing freshman Peyton Sullivan taking a header off the post - and within minutes after Sullivan's header off the post Perrysburg took advantage with a header from their senior captain Allex Brown from a direct free kick sent in from senior captain Lindy DeLong (first of two assist on the afternoon). Minutes after Brown's first goal - she registered another redirected header to far post from a throw-in to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-0 lead 15 minutes after Brown's first goal.  St. Ursula's Peyton Sullivan and sophomore Amy King would create problem for the Yellow Jacket defending four - but unable to capitalize on unforced errors from Perrysburg - 23 minutes into the first half Brown would register her third goal of the match from a deflection off of sophomore Caroline Bartholomew and Brown half volley chance would fly by freshman St. Ursula goalkeeper Caelen Warnecke. The Arrows would not go away easily with under five minutes to play they finally got the goal they needed from Jen Hoffman from a direct kick from Grace Donnelly.  Second half - Perrysburg looked to start where they finished but the Arrows would not go away quietly with the Arrows hitting the post in the opening minutes of the second half - but Perrysburg got the assurance goal from sophomore Anna Kirby by collecting a loose ball outside the penalty area and blasting it to the far post panel of the net giving the Yellow Jackets a 4-1 lead with 22 minutes remaining in the match. Junior Jordyn Greer along with Sullivan and King would get opportunity but not enough to get by freshman goalkeeper Allie Michel. "Overall, very proud of our performance tonight against another quality opponent" said Perrysburg coach Jorge Diaz.  The Yellow Jackets improve to 9-1-1 setting up another key match with the season winding to a close with an NLL showdown with Sylvania Northview - St. Ursula's TRAC title hopes are still alive and they fall to 5-4-3.

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NWO Soccer Weekly Girls Match of the Week (St. Ursula Academy - Toledo vs. Perrysburg)

Tale of the Tape

St. Ursula Academy (Toledo)

5-3-3 (overall) 2-1-1 (TRAC)

GF (Goals for): 43 (3.91 goals a game)

GA (Goals against): 15 (1.36 goals a game)

Key players: Senior Allie Farrell (F), Junior Jordyn Greer (MF/F), Tori Jeffries (DF/F), Sophomores Amy King (F), Freshmen Peyton Sullivan (MF/F), Katie Karban (MF)

Key wins: Lake (Millbury) 

Notes: SUA has not really hit their stride yet in this soccer season - due to the fact the Arrows have not been able to put together a top-11 due to the injury bug that has been lingering over the team. Now players are returning and looking to get their feet back on the pavement and be a team in NW Ohio you have to worry about playing. SUA - who's tradition is richer than any girls program in the northwest Ohio area have a standard to reach and head coach Chris Black looks to get them in prime position to make a push for a District title - leading the way for the Arrows is a freshman in Peyton Sullivan (15g, 3a) and junior forward-midfielder Jordyn Greer (8g, 8a). Senior Allie Farrell and sophomore Amy King give the Arrows many more options when they are going forward - but since the Arrows have went through changes (losing Celia Oatis - Michigan Hawks program, Morgan Swerlein - GTFC fall club, Maddie Ladd -injury) - SUA has been able to get quality from others who have had to step up. Defensively it has been a make shift back line including bringing normally a winger to play at the back in Tori Jeffries and hopefully the return of Grace Mancy will give SUA that stability we are normally used to seeing.  The Arrows can still control their destiny in the TRAC race and also look to host a game in the state tournament on their home-field, but getting a signature result against a top-NWO team can give this team the proper leverage to gain a sectional final home game; ties to Anthony Wayne (3-3), Findlay (1-1), Rocky River, last year's Division II State Champions (1-1) have been a good side (even though you want wins), but losses to #5 Clay (Oregon), Clear Fork (Bellville), and Sylvania Northview have been minor setbacks and coach Black is looking for building this team to peak at the right time.

Perrysburg

8-1-1 (overall) 4-0-0 (NLL)

GF (Goals for): 31 (3.10 goals a game)

GA (Goals against): 8 (0.80 goals a game)

Key players: Seniors Allex Brown (F), Lindy DeLong (DF), Juniors Beth Glowacki (F), Bri Boyd (DF), Erika Joldrichsen (MF), Anna Kirby (F/MF), Sophomore Leah Tilton (F)

Key wins: Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse), Steele (Amherst), Rocky River, Notre Dame Academy

Notes: If their is one-thing the Perrysburg coaching staff of Jorge Diaz and Margaret Bernard can do its very simple...BE CONSISTENT. Since the Lady Jackets won the state title back in 2012 - the Yellow Jackets have posted an impressive record of 44-4-4 (including 2014 season) - if that is not consistency then define it in your own way.  The Lady Jackets may be scoring goals in bunches but they are one of the toughest teams in the area to breakdown - but it is anchored by a very impressive group of veteran players on the back line in seniors Lindy DeLong (left back - 2nd team All-NLL selection in 2013), Jen Witt (center defender) and juniors Bri Boyd (center defender) and Emily Baer (right back) - Perrysburg can give you problems throughout the middle with quality midfielders in junior Erika Joldrichsen and sophomore Hailey Wenzelman.  Perrysburg lost one of the best game-changers in the area (if not the state) in Josie Fowler (Michigan Hawks program) and coach Diaz and Bernard have trust in sophomore Kayla Curson to build the run of play. This is a very physical front 3 with speed, size, and strength - senior Allex Brown, who is a veteran anchors this front 3 with all 3 attributes - as a sophomore she was a catalyst to that state championship team and last season led he team in goals with 17, this season as the senior leader and captain she has tallied 8 goals and has assisted on 4 - her counterpart junior Beth Glowacki is leading the lady Jackets in the scoring column with 10 goals. Glowacki who can give you a hard time with her strength and speed is having a terrific year and looking to continue on that - junior Anna Kirby (6g, 2a) and sophomore Leah Tilton (2g, 4a) also give the Jackets incredible balance in the attacking positions.  Wins at this time of the year do not come easy - Perrysburg should know this since they are the team to beat every season it seems in NW Ohio - with the NLL title still up for grabs with Sylvania Northview the tilt next Wednesday will be a very big match as well visiting NW Ohio power St. Ursula Academy, last year's Final Four participant in Division I Magnificat (Rocky River) and Hudson - the Jackets will be pressed to get results especially coming off a 1-1 draw last Monday to Findlay. If Perrysburg can gain results down the stretch - their key players have to be game-changers.

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Titans looking for a signature win against upstart Yellow Jackets

Toledo - BCSN Thursday night High School soccer will broadcasting live from Lyden Field as the Titans of St. John's Jesuit plays host to the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets.  After the Titans were dismantled by the Sylvania Northview last Thursday, the Titans are looking for a quality win against a stout NLL side.  The Titans who defeated Perrysburg last season in the District Final in overtime are paced by First-Team All-Ohioan and District Player of the Year Camden Buescher (Sr, MF/F) and the attacking tandem of Cam Miller (Sr, F), Leo Gomez (Soph, F/MF) and Zack Roller (Sr, F) will look to give the Yellow Jackets problems at the back.  As for the Yellow Jackets, first-year Head Coach Brandon Decker (former BGSU standout and assistant at Richfield Revere H.S.) has this team going in the right direction - coming off a stellar performance over the weekend against perennial power Jackson (Massillon) 1-0 and on Tuesday they cruised by a young Maumee side 9-0, this Perrsyburg team has seen many state-ranked team and are ready to face battle with another quality opponent in St. John's Jesuit.  Leading the way for the Yellow Jackets are the attacking group of Kyle Wyrick (Sr. F), Andrew Bosworth (Jr, F) and Logan Giesige (Jr, F) - a very steady midfield Perrysburg possess with senior Tyler Wenzelman and sophomore Elion Damsi can create and be threats in the run of play with their distribution coming from deep parts of the midfield. Senior Jacob Kirby anchors the back while senior goalkeeper Kyle Rowan continues to keep the Yellow Jackets in matches. This game has a lot at stake for state tournament seeding - always important to collect a quality win to build a resume for selection Sunday.

Game time is 7PM (broadcasted live on BCSN2)

#TRACvsNLL

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#TITANSvsJACKETS

I-75 Showdown at Steinecker Stadium - Perrysburg looks to keep on the right track while Findlay may have other plans?!?

Toledo - As the Northwest Ohio soccer season winds down big matches will come more relevant as the State tournament is right around the corner. Perrysburg Lady Jackets will be put to a major test as TRAC preseason favorite Findlay travels up I-75 for a Monday night showdown, the Jackets are paced by a very strong attack featuring senior Allex Brown and junior Beth Glowacki and a defending trio who may be the best in NW Ohio in Bri Boyd and Lindy DeLong.  If the Lady Trojans want to make noise to stir up issues in the seeding room in next couple of weeks - they will have to play a near perfect game to give the Jackets fits...should be a good one over at Steinecker Stadium on the campus of Perrysburg Jr. High

Game time is 7PM

#ladyJACKETSvsladyTROJANS

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#NLLvsTRAC