CLYDE – Ottoville’s dream season came to an end on Wednesday night in Clyde as the Big Green were downed 1-0 by Andrews Osborne Academy.
Tasked with taking down an offensive juggernaut for 80 minutes, each side’s defense came to play in the first half as a physical bump and grind pushed the ball back and forth with limited opportunities to be had for scores.
Working off of a free kick from 30 yards out from senior Ishmael Mensah that was intentionally played short of the Ottoville wall the Phoenix knocked in their first and only goal on a redirected effort from junior Lucas Garcia to take a 1-0 advantage with 10:31 remaining in the half.
Ottoville keeper Carson Hilvers faced a slew of offerings from the Andrews Osborne Academy offense in the second half but found himself able to stand up to the task by pushing away double digit Phoenix shots to keep his team in the game.
Unfortunately for the Big Green they were unable to find the back of the net despite repeated runs by seniors Preston Mansfield and Andy Moorman among others and watched the seconds tick away towards a 1-0 loss.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how our team played tonight, what they showed out there is the definition of what a true team is about” said Ottoville mentor Dustin Markward. “This run was special. From going undefeated to being ranked #1 in the state at one point to winning the PCL, districts, regionals, and getting to the final four is an all-time great accomplishment and will be forever remembered. The program has taken huge steps into building something special”.
Andrews Osborne Academy remains unbeaten with a 17-0-1 record despite being held to a single goal for just the second time this season. Saturday at 7pm the Phoenix will play Worthington Christian for the Division 3 state championship in Columbus at Historic Crew Stadium.
Ottoville, ranked #1 this season for the first time in program history and regional champions for the first time as well see their campaign end at 21-1-1 and will say goodbye to five seniors in Preston Mansfield, Quinton Schnipke, Masin Metzger, Jordan Landin, and Andy Moorman. The outgoing class for the Big Green outscored opponents 378-38 while finishing with a 68-6-9 record and three straight appearances in the regional finals or state semifinals.
“The five seniors we had this year were true leaders and role models who helped establish what we have built and have set great examples all season long. These five kids are the kind of seniors you want on your team and they will be missed. I hope the group of next years seniors will pick up where this group left off” finished Markward.