METAMORA – Ottawa Glandorf clinched their first trip to the regional semifinals since making the state championship game in 2014 on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Archbold 1-0 at Evergreen High School.
Facing windy conditions and 52 degree weather the two rival schools engaged in an early battle of field positioning in an attempt to push across the first marker.
Ottawa Glandorf, a team with a school record 108 goals entering the game wasted no time firing shots on the Blue Streaks net against keeper Reagan Kohler.
Kohler, a senior who was recently named 1st team NWOAL this season was up to the task of keeping the slate clean early as she made back to back highlight reel saves against Clara Beach and Lily Haselman on Titan breakaways to make sure the score would remain tied into the halftime break.
Early in the second half with the game still scoreless it was the shin of Kohler that stopped the next Titan scoring chance as she tossed a leg through traffic and knocked down a left footed strike by Mackenzie Recker with 33:56 remaining.
Over the course of the final 40 minutes the teams began to trade field positioning once again and make runs of their own but come up short as the opposing defense quickly showed up to help out their keeper and sweep away opportunities.
OG’s seventh corner kick of the game proved to be their lucky number when a shot lofted towards a crowded net was redirected to the feet of Mackenzie Recker who sent a shot past Kohler and into the net to put the Titans on top with 11:52 to go.
Ottawa Glandorf’s Emma Brinkman turned away the only shot she faced in the game the rest of the way and secured the regional birth as the clock struck 0:00.
Kohler finished the evening turning away 14 shots for the Blue Streaks who see their season end at the hands of the team they eliminated last season at 8-8-3.
“That was a hard fought game out there tonight. I felt we controlled most of the match, but Archbold played really well defensively. Their keeper made a handful of fantastic saves to keep the game at 0-0. I thought we picked up our defensive pressure in the second half. It was a bit of a chaotic game. We found a way to finish one off a loose ball on a corner and that got the job done tonight. I’m really proud of the group tonight. A district championship is a great accomplishment and something to be really proud of. The group is motivated to keep improving and I’m excited to keep the run going” said OG coach Michelle Maag after the victory.
Next up for the Titans (18-1) is a Tuesday evening 7:00 P.M. battle on the pitch at Defiance’s Fred Brown Field against a Coldwater Cavaliers squad that eliminated Ottoville 3-1 to win the Ottoville district finals.