Eagles slip past Braves in district final

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The defending state runner-up Olentangy girls soccer team — the top overall seed in the district — took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half, but eighth-seeded Bishop Watterson got an equalizer in the second half before scoring in sudden-death overtime to notch a 2-1 win in Saturday’s Division I district championship at Worthington Christian.

Things were going to plan for the Braves (17-2-2) early on as Sydney Burrs collected a loose ball near midfield, dribbled down the right sideline and fired a rocket over the head of Eagle keeper Evie Owens and into the back of the net to make it a 1-0 game with 18:16 left in the first half.

Olivia Heskett nearly did the same thing a few minutes later, but Owens was able to punch it over the crossbar.

The Eagles (12-6-2) caught a break less than a minute into the second half as a hand ball in the box awarded them a penalty kick. Brooklyn Scythes converted the chance, beating Braves keeper Ella Schwertfager, who picked the right direction to dive, but couldn’t quite reach the perfectly-placed shot.

Things stayed 1-1 until late in the first sudden-death overtime, when Gabriela Rotolo took a centering pass from Sydney Workman and punched it into the net for the game-winner.

Olentangy Liberty 3, Dublin Scioto 0

Jaimason Brooker broke the scoring seal midway through the first half and the second-seeded Patriots rolled from there, picking up their first district title since 2017 with a shutout win over the seventh-seeded Irish Saturday in Marysville.

Brooker, who also had an assist in the win, got behind the Scioto back line and beat the keeper with a shot just inside the far post with 18:45 left in the first half.

Ava Bertone made it 2-0 off a pass from Brooker early in the second half and Chloe Brecht put the finishing touches on the win, heading home a Teigan Casey corner kick in the final moments.

Next up, Liberty (15-1-2) will take on Watterson in a regional semifinal at Worthington Christian tonight at 7 p.m.

Dublin Coffman 2, Olentangy Orange 1

The Pioneers evened things up late in the first half when Kaitlyn Colvert’s free kick deflected off a slew of bodies in the box, but the Shamrocks got the go-ahead goal midway through the second half and hung on to win their second district championship in three years Saturday night at Dublin Jerome.

Orange finished the year 13-2-5 while Coffman improved to 11-2-5.

Tara Flynn scored the game-winner off a feed from Kacey Collier. Taylor Duff also scored in the win.

VOLLEYBALL

Olentangy Liberty and Olentangy Orange both won district titles over the weekend, setting up a potential intra-district clash for a regional title.

That is, if both can win their respective semifinals Thursday at Hilliard Darby.

The top-seeded Patriots punched their ticket with a straight-set win over 13th-seeded DeSales Saturday at Central Crossing High School.

They won a tight first set 29-27 before taking the next two by respective scores of 25-15 and 25-12.

McKenna Cook finished with a team-best 15 kills while Claire Mrukowski chipped in 12. Other Liberty standouts included Michelle Ezenewke, who had four blocks; Abbey Queen, who led with 27 digs; and Gabi Moulton, who collected 38 assists in the win.

Next up, the Patriots will take on Dublin Scioto Thursday night at Darby. Action is set to start at 6 p.m.

The second-seeded Pioneers, meanwhile, handled Gahanna Lincoln 25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21 to advance to Thursday’s semifinal against Bishop Watterson at 7:30 p.m.

Watterson’s Gabby Capozella, left, and Olentangy’s Lexi White compete for a 50-50 ball during the second half of Saturday’s Division I district championship at Worthington Christian.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2021/11/web1_lexi.jpgWatterson’s Gabby Capozella, left, and Olentangy’s Lexi White compete for a 50-50 ball during the second half of Saturday’s Division I district championship at Worthington Christian. Ben Stroup | The Gazette

By Ben Stroup

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