ZIONSVILLE, Ind. — Medina (Ohio) coach Doug Coreno and Fishers (Ind.) coach Ben Beasley weren't going to let Mother Nature win.

While rain and lightning washed out all but 39 minutes of early scheduled play at Friday's Lady Eagle Invitational, Medina and Fishers waited it out to make sure this clash of nationally ranked programs took place. And it ended up not being much of a contest. Medina's pace, balanced attack and precision around the goal lifted the SIMA FAB 50 No. 5 Bees to a comfortable 4-1 win over No. 12 Fishers.

"Best team we've seen all year," Fishers coach Ben Beasley said.

That's high praise from the defending Indiana large-school state champs, which tied No. 13 Carmel (Ind.) and recently lost to former FAB 50-ranked Noblesville (Ind.). The match was touted as Indiana's No. 1 vs. Ohio's No. 1, which was the case -- with an asterisk. The teams were state No. 1s when the Monday polls were released, but Fishers was upset Wednesday prior to playing Medina, which made it a lame-duck No. 1.

Tarah Roller gave Medina a 1-0 lead with 13:55 left in the first half after tapping a rebound into an open net. The play developed when Megan Sency's cross found the foot of Sydney Leckie, whose shot was paired away by Hannah Sullivan -- but right to Roller for the easy finish.

Medina netted three goals in a 6-minute, 41-second span in the second half for a 4-0 lead to effectively seal the outcome. Elizabeth Ash ran on to a perfectly played pass from Sydney Leckie and finished the play for a 2-0 Medina lead. Marin Auth redirected a free kick from Bri Caccavale into the net, then Leckie served up Loren Sefcik, who recorded the team's final score.

Fishers avoided a shutout with 8:46 left on a goal by Cecilia Alvarez. 

"I thought once we got that two-goal lead, they kept the foot on the pedal, kept fighting, and they earned a great win," Coreno said.

The game nearly did not happen.

With less than 90 seconds remaining in the first half of the very first match Friday between host Zionsville (Ind.) and Roncalli (Ind.), lightning strikes near the Zionsville Youth soccer Association soccer complex brought the match to an immediate halt.

For the next three hours, teams waitied -- and even once attempted to take the field -- as nearby lightning strike after strike added yet another 30-minute delay after 30-minute delay. By 8:15 p.m., the concession stand was closed, the once-full parking lot was nearly empty and only a handful of event staff remained. Patiently waiting on a bus in the parking lot was the Fishers' team, which had hoped to play in the 8:30 p.m. match. Meanwhile, Medina, which had made the six-hour drive earlier in the day, was holed up in a nearby hotel where players and coaches could see the soccer fields from their bedroom windows. 

With every other team long gone, Coreno and Beasley remained at the complex, lobbying for the match to get played. 

"Medina came a long way and we wanted to get this game in," Beasley said. 

Right before 9 p.m., there was a break in the storm. Using the Zionsville football game, being played about 5 miles away, as the guide, when the football teams were allowed to resume its game, Medina and Fishers were hustled onto the field for a brief warm-up, followed by the match, which ended right at 11 p.m.

"They showed a lot of maturity," Coreno said of his team. "We drove six hours, wondered around a hotel for two hours not knowig if we were playing or not. At one point, we thought we would be playing West Jessamine (Ky.) [instead]. Then, we come out here and get a great win."

The only other match that started Friday was the Roncalli-Zionsville contest. Upstart Roncalli, which carried an undefeated record into the event, took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Kristen Reece. The match was halfted with 1:25 left in the first half at the first sight of lightning. The teams will resume the contest Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

The Lady Eagle Invitational continues today with 49 matches features teams from the 29 participating schools. Medina's win Friday now puts more emphasis on a Saturday clash with Noblesville. Another Medina victory likely will result in a jump into the SIMA FAB 50 Top 3 after weekend play is complete.

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