OXFORD, Ohio – While many teams had met for the very first time in the second day of the 2014 adidas Blue Chip Showcase Saturday, the ZYSA U18s had a score to settle in their contest against St. Croix Academy. 

Nearly a year ago, ZYSA suffered a heartbreaking 3-0 loss to St. Croix at the USYS Region II Tournament. With this memory still fresh in the team’s mind, ZYSA came out hot in this long overdue matchup, getting on the board within the first five minutes of the game.

In sunny, but windy conditions, midfielder Emina Wacker battled through the gusts and used the speed of the turf field to dance around both a St. Croix defender and goalkeeper Blakely Fraasch, and tap the ball into the net to give ZYSA an early 1-0 advantage.

Trying to make a quick comeback, St. Croix had a strong scoring opportunity in the middle of the first half as keeper Kelsey Dossey lost track of the ball in the box and found herself off her line. Quickly rushing to her aid, midfielder Lauren Hofer stood in place of Dossey, heading out a shot that would have been the equalizer for St. Croix. 

ZYSA’s offense jumped back into gear late in the first half and at the start of the second half with two more goals to make it a 3-0 game. Dossey then clinched the victory for her team with a goal of her own off a free kick that she took from 40 yards out. With the wind on her side, Dossey sent the ball flying over the head of St. Croix’s keeper to win the game 4-0.

“We lost to them at Regionals 3-0, so we were definitely aware that we had some long paid goals to make up, so we were ready,” Dossey said of Saturday’s game. “In the first half we were definitely watching the wind, and then second half, we just brought it the whole game. We were ready.” 

Unlike ZYSA’s impressive blowout over St. Croix, many of Saturday’s games remained low scoring.

Cleveland FC 1-1 Warren County (U15)

Warren County had Cleveland FC on the ropes during the first half when a rebound gave Warren County the 1-0 advantage. Cleveland FC keeper Sophia Weidner had a strong save off a tricky shot, but was unable to hold on to the ball. Warren County forward Taran McMillan rushed in at the sign of a rebound, firing the ball into the back of the net.

Cleveland FC tried to even up the game at the start of the second half when midfielder Allison Martin sped past a defender toward the goal. Martin attempted a low shot that was blocked by Warren County goaltender Claire Koczak. Despite picking up the rebound, Martin sent the ball flying over the goalpost.

Cleveland FC finally found the equalizer when forward Daysha Randelson sent a firing shot towards the goal in the center of the box. The ball deflected off one of Warren County’s own, and flew into the left corner of the net to end the match in a well-fought tie.

Alliance 1-0 OH Galaxies (U17)

The match started out in exciting fashion, as Alliance forward Keeghan Francis pounced on a bad defensive pass and quickly cut towards the goal. As OH Galaxies keeper Abby Helm rushed off her line, Francis managed to step around her and take a hard shot that was deflected away by midfielder Katie Vaughen who had rushed back to guard the net.

Following this initial scoring opportunity, both teams thwarted each other’s plays to get on the board, including several shots taken by OH Galaxies Aaliyah Patten, who misplaced her attempts over the top of the net.

The game remained scoreless through the first half, and it began to look as if the game would end in a draw when Alliance forward Ashley Seltzer used the wind to send a floater over Helm’s head to score the winning goal.

Cleveland United 2-2 Javanon (U17)

In a physical, fast-paced game from the get-go, Cleveland United struck first when forward Sydney Duggan sprinted up the right wing, blasting a low, dangerous shot at the goal. Deflecting off a Javanon defender, the ball unpredictably ricocheted into the left corner of the net.

Javonon struck back several minutes later when defender Madison Zimmer crossed the ball to forward Lauren Wilson, who was waiting in the center of the field. Wilson danced around Cleveland United defender Danielle Giles, and fired a shot past goaltender Kaleigh Piscioneri to make a 1-1 game.

Scoring in the first half didn’t end there, though. Cleveland United defender Nicole Dembie was in perfect positioning on a free kick late in the half, keeping her eye on the ball and heading it into the far corner of the net to give her team a 2-1 at halftime. Javanon later found the equalizer during a speedy second half, and both teams walked away from the match in a draw.

Cleveland Whitecaps 2-1 Warren County Blue (U14)

Krista Harbart brought home the win for the Cleveland Whitecaps during the second period of Saturday’s game. The teams entered the second half tied 1-1, but a brawl in front of the Warren County Blue’s net prevented the goaltender from maintaining control of the ball, giving Harbart the chance to knock in the winning goal.

“We started out slow, but picked it up as the game went on, and sort of just made our own luck,” head coach Frank Washburn said.

The Cleveland Whitecaps went on to beat Cleveland United later that day, and are scheduled to take on the NSA Shooting Stars Sunday morning.