BOWLING GREEN – Two of the best offenses in OHSAA history met on the turf at Bowling Green High School Saturday afternoon with just one spot on the line in the state final four with Ottawa Glandorf advancing past Eastwood 4-2.
Ottawa Glandorf entered play with 117 goals scored, the 13th best mark while Eastwood began the day in second place in a single season with 159 markers.
Scoreless through the first ten minutes of the contest the two teams engaged in a fast and physical game of field position until the visiting Titans punched through to take the games first lead.
Working through traffic following a steal near midfield Ottawa Glandorf sophomore Myka Aldrich netted her 22nd score of the season as she lofted a shot from 35 yards away past Eastwood keeper Jordan Jensen with 29:14 remaining before the half to give the Titans a 1-0 advantage.
Aldrich’s goal against the Eagles was the third goal of the season allowed by Eastwood and their first since giving up their only markers of the season on September 30th in a 4-2 victory over Woodmore.
OG leading scorer Makenna Siefker upped the blue and gold lead to 2-0 with 23:59 as she netted her 25th goal of the season after a corner kick from teammate Kaelyn Grothouse. Siefker’s score was the 119th for the Titans on the year and moved them into first place all-time in Putnam County history and past 2007 Continental who finished with 118.
Under fire early in the second half Ottawa Glandorf keeper Emma Brinkman knocked down an initial shot from Eastwood but was unable to secure the ball as a rebound raced off the foot of Eagle senior Sydney Ameling and into the net to trim the lead to 2-1 with 35:21 remaining in the game.
“I thought we defended really well early in the game and made the most of our offensive opportunities when they came. We got off to a good start in the first half and then battled through some adversity early in the second half when they got a quick goal” said Titan coach Michelle Maag of the opening half plus of play.
Working down the left sideline against a pair of defenders Alexa Fortman pushed OG back in front by a pair at 3-1 with 32:38 when she lifted a shot from near the corner of the box to the upper corner and past Jensen to give her team their 120th goal of the season.
Myka Aldrich’s strike with 15:28 left from straight away raced through the Eastwood defense and into the net to give the Titans a 4-1 lead.
With the clock winding down on their season the 4-time consecutive Northern Buckeye Conference champion Eagles notched their 161st and final goal of 2021 as a Kaylyn Simon shot worked itself past Brinkman to account for the final tally of a 4-2 game with 10:45 remaining.
Eastwood’s season comes to an end with a 20-1 record while Ottawa Glandorf (20-1) will move on to the state semifinals on Tuesday evening at 7pm in Sandusky to take on Chippewa.
Titan head coach Michelle Maag who graduated in 2013 a year before Ottawa Glandorf made their first final four appearance in school history after the game remarked “What an incredible day for Lady Titan Soccer. Eastwood is a fantastic team and I have a lot of respect for them. It was an absolute battle out there today. I am just so proud of these girls. They have put in so much work over the last few months and to see them be rewarded for it is great. Our focus now shifts to Chippewa and what I expect to be a great matchup Tuesday.”
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