TIFFIN – Ottawa Glandorf clinched their second straight final four appearance on Saturday afternoon as the Titans defeated Woodmore 1-0 at Frost-Kalnow Stadium.
Faced with nearly 30 mile per hour winds the Titans and Wildcats engaged in a battle of field position with shots at a premium throughout the course of the afternoon.
Working off of their sixth corner kick in the first half the Titans notched the only goal of the game with 8:32 remaining before the halftime break when a cross from Bri Douglass found the head of freshman Karsyn Erford and the back of the net.
Erford has now scored five goals during her freshman season, all of which have come during the Titans postseason run.
“The wind definitely played a factor today. We wanted to be aggressive in the first half while we had the wind at our back. In tournament play the outcome can often come down to set pieces and that was the story today. Karsyn finished with a great header to grab us a goal” said Titan head coach Michelle Maag.
Woodmore advanced the ball deeper into Titan territory in the second half aided by the wind but were unable to push any of their three shots past Ottawa Glandorf keeper Emma Brinkman, including a pair of late corner kicks with under two minutes to go.
In picking up the 1-0 victory the Titans have now completed 15 consecutive shutouts and 31 halves of play without allowing a goal on the defensive end but were also held to their lowest goal total since their only loss of the season, a 5-1 setback to Perrysburg in August.
Woodmore’s first regional appearance and season comes to an end with a 15-4-1 mark. Goal keeper Layla McGinnis turned away seven OG shots in the loss.
Ottawa Glandorf (19-1-2) will make their third state semifinal appearance and second straight on Tuesday night as they travel to Mansfield Madison Comprehensive for a 7pm start to battle Akron Manchester in a game that will be broadcast live on WZOQ Radio.
“I’m so proud of this ground tonight for playing hard for 80 minutes and finding a way to win this regional title. With the wind facing us in the second half our defense did a great job of stepping up to the great chances Woodmore created for themselves. We’re excited about the chance to keep playing and shifting all of our focus to Tuesday against Akron Manchester” opined Maag following the game.