Columbus, Ohio – The Loveland Tigers were defeated Friday by Walsh Jesuit by a score of 1-0 in the State soccer finals.
Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit completed another undefeated championship season for the Warriors on Friday night at MAPFRE Stadium.
With the victory, Walsh Jesuit (21-0-1) extended its impressive postseason resume, winning the school’s fourth-straight state championship and ninth overall.
Bringing the pressure early in the first half, Walsh fired six shots while conceding none. Loveland (18-4-1) stayed compact defensively, often placing 10 women behind the ball looking for counter attack opportunities.
Scoreless through a majority of the first half, Walsh broke through in the 32nd minute after a corner kick from Anna Rico found the head of Sofia Rossi, who snapped it down and into the back of the net. Play leveled out in the second-half with each team earning quality opportunities. When the final whistle blew, it was Walsh sitting on top by a tally of 1-0.
Walsh has yet to lose in the finals of the state tournament, going a perfect 9-0. In addition, Walsh remains unbeaten in its last 91 matches, having not lost a game since 2011.
After the game Tiger Head Coach Todd Kelly said he was disappointed, but only for his team that worked so hard to get to the final game. “This was a tough one, because I love these kids like my own kids. Kudos to Walsh, they are a great team, but we didn’t come here to come in second. We came here with the intention to win.” He also thanked the Loveland community which turned out thousands of fans, perhaps triple the number of Walsh fans. “We played hard and we played like we wanted to win, but I’m disappointed for my kids. They played their hearts out.”
