Nighthawks outlast Titans for D3 title

COLUMBUS – Ottawa Glandorf held opponents without a score for 550 minutes and 28 seconds of game action during their seven game tournament run but saw their 2022 season end with a silver medal as Cincinnati Country Day scored with 9:32 remaining and held on to clinch their third title since 2018.

Tied 0-0 and playing in conditions that included a torrential rain storm at times the Titans and Nighthawks traded near goal chances until the lone goal of the afternoon, a strike from CCD junior Elizabeth Zimmerman proved to be the difference maker.

“They cashed one in, a good shot with some heat and high, nothing really Emma (Brinkman) could do about it” said Titan coach Michelle Maag in the postgame media interviews.

Cincinnati Country Day entered play with no goals allowed in their last seven contests while outscoring opponents by a combined score of 37-0. Goal Keeper CJ DeBra, a Youngstown State commit and multiple year starter showed her skills during this game as she turned away all six Titan shots she faced while making highlight level stops on two runs that saw OG fire multiple offerings that either just missed the mark or were turned away.

Ottawa Glandorf senior keeper Emma Brinkman who helped lead the blue and gold charge to a state record 16 consecutive shutouts and a record tying 20 overall this year made highlight level stops of her own on multiple occasions against an aggressive Nighthawks offense to keep her own slate scoreless for most of the game.

For longtime CCD head coach Theresa Hirschauer the win represents her 441st career win and third state title. Country Day finishes with a record of 19-5 on the season while Ottawa Glandorf ends at 20-2-2 after beginning the season 1-1-1.

Asked to speak on the season Maag responded “We had our sights set on finishing it, I’m proud of our team, of the girls for not only what they’ve given tonight and for what they’ve done all year. These girls have grinded since the first of June and into August and left it all on the field. We’re disappointed with the result but I can’t say enough great things about these girls as coaches, they work their tails off and make me a better person”

1,150 people packed the Lower.Com Field stands on a dreary Friday afternoon, a crowd dominated by supporters of Ottawa Glandorf and were treated to the second of three state finals on the day that would all end 1-0.

Speaking on the four member senior class of Clara Beach, Emma Brinkman, Lily Haselman, and Maggie Verhoff the second year Titan boss remarked “Think about how many people can say they’ve made it to the state final, it’s a select group and rare air and they’ve done it twice back to back and through a lot of adversity. The fact they’ve fought through that and fought with and for each other speaks a lot about who they are as people, I thank them for all they’ve done for our program and I can’t wait to say what they do next.”

Stats from today’s game: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=436453

 

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