by David Burig,
The Loveland Girls Soccer team won their Sectional Title against Sycamore in the third round of the OHSAA tournament Monday night. After finishing third in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference with a conference record of 5-2-0 and an overall record of 12-3-1, the Lady tigers advanced to OHSAA Tournament play.
After a bye in the first round, they defeated Hamilton by a score of 3-0 in the second round to advance to the Sectional game, played Monday night.
The game was played on the neutral turf of Lakota West High School, and at 30:30 in the first half, Taylor Nuncio struck a volley into the back of the net to score the first goal off of a header assist from Brice Grieshop.
The second goal of the match was tallied at 7:44 in the first half when Brice Grieshop scored on a ball that was initially stopped but not controlled by the Sycamore keeper. The ball worked free and Grieshop struck it past a Sycamore defender and into the net with her right foot.
In the second half, Sycamore responded with a goal at 37:38 to bring the score to 2-1, but Loveland responded with a goal of their own. At 18:20 Colleen “Jelly” Swift threw the ball into the 6-yard box from the sideline near the corner. Freshman Brooke Harden dove at the ball and struck a header past the keeper and into the side of the net to go up 3-1, which was the game’s final score.
“From a possession, composure and ball control standpoint, this was the most complete game we’ve played all year,” said Loveland coach Todd Kelly. “We told the girls that style points don’t matter this time of year; it’s win by one and move on.”
The Lady Tigers will play Thursday night at 7 PM for the District title against Beavercreek at West Carrollton High School.
