CELINA – Ottawa Glandorf moves to 28 straight Western Buckeye League victories on Thursday night as they blanked Celina 3-0 behind a hat trick from senior Makenna Siefker.
“Tonight was a solid win against a tough Celina squad” said O-G mentor Michelle Maag. “The key to the game tonight for me was our defense holding strong for a full 80 minutes.”
O-G raced out to a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game as Siefker blistered an offering past Bulldog keeper Alaina Vehorn with 39:05 showing on the stadium scoreboard.
“The fast start tonight with the early goal was great, it set the tone for the game” said Maag.
Locked in a defensive battle, the two teams traded opportunities but found their ability to put shots on net limited by the other teams back line. “Our back line and Karsyn were a big key tonight but they definitely had help from their friends up front” remarked Maag.
Siefker struck again for the visiting blue and gold at 29:12 in the second half as she gathered a pass from teammate Liv Grothause and sliced through Bulldog defenders before lifting a shot high and left of Vehorn to run the advantage to 2-0.
The final marker of the evening finished the fifth hat trick of the year for the Titans all-time leading scorer as a handball call gave Siefker an opportunity to unleash a kick that she cashed in on with 16:26 to go for a 3-0 lead.
3-0 on the 5th hat trick on the season for @siefker_makenna pic.twitter.com/QYT9nbnoXa
— Michael Hirn (@MichaelHirnPBP) September 27, 2024
Entering play on Thursday night Celina had surrendered just nine goals on the season and held a 38-5 advantage in goals scored against Western Buckeye League foes in 2024.
Keeper Alaina Vehorn turned away six shots in the game, including a shot from an Ottawa Glandorf corner kick that bounced off of her finger tips and the side post in the first half.
Junior netminder Karsyn Erford collected her 30th career shutout in the victory for the second ranked Titans, and moves within four of breaking the all-time school mark set by Jenni Rosselit from 1999-2002.
“When Celina changed to play a bit more direct in the second half, I thought we did a good job of sticking with our marks and limiting chances for them” opined Maag. “We did a better job holding possession and dictating play once we settled in.”
Celina falls to 10-2-2 on the season and sees their WBL mark slip to 4-2-1. Next up for the Bulldogs is a visit from Defiance next Thursday evening.
Ottawa Glandorf (12-1, 7-0) notches their 28th straight league victory and moves closer to their 7th all-time WBL title, a mark that would tie them with Celina for most overall championships.
“Liv (Grothause) has a great game being a disruptive defender in the midfield, and Makenna did a good job operating in tight quarters to create chances” said Maag. “Our whole back line did a good job of staying composed and in good positions as crosses came in.”
On the schedule next for the Titans is a Saturday afternoon non-league tilt with Ontario before a return on Tuesday to league play when second place Shawnee comes to visit Glandorf.
Scoring:
39:05 – Makenna Siefker (OG)
29:12 – Makenna Siefker (OG)
16:26 – Makenna Siefker (OG)
Assists:
1 – Liv Grothause (OG)
Saves:
6 – Karsyn Erford (OG)
6 – Alaina Vehorn (C)
JV: 1-1 tie (1 half of play)