By Cort Reynolds
In a matchup of teams with identical records in the North Central Ohio Soccer Association opener Thursday evening, September 7, the host Ada girls soccer team played well and tied traditional power Riverdale 1-1 at War Memorial Stadium.
Ada ran its record to 3-1-2 overall and 0-0-1 in NCOSA play with the draw. Defending district champion Riverdale also boasts the identical record of 3-1-2 overall and 0-0-1 in NCOSA action after the tie.
The game was scoreless at intermission, although Ada senior Olivia Burkhart netted a diving header that was ruled just after the halftime buzzer.
Riverdale then took the lead when freshman speedster Marisa Bonham tipped in a near own-goal shot off the hand of Ada keeper Katie Sizemore with 32:47 remaining to play.
Yet Ada would tie it up almost eight minutes later. Alex Gibson bent a perfect left side free kick toward the top of the goal from 25 yards out. Falcon keeper Angelina Sierra got a hand on the shot and deflected it off the crossbar.
But Bulldog senior Ella Marshall was there to head in the rebound and knot the score with 24:53 left to play.
The Falcons had a one-timer chance to score at the 11:20 mark, but missed just wide left of the goal.
Marshall then made a good run up the side and centered a nice ball to Jillian Allison. Allison blasted a shot from 22 yards out with 9:30 left but Sierra smothered it.
Twenty seconds later on a counter-attack, Riverdale had its best chance to untie the score. But they missed an open-goal shot just wide left at the nine-minute juncture.
Sierra came off her line and made a sliding save off a long through ball that Marshall was attempting to run up on with 1:26 left to play.
Sizemore made her 12th and last save with 40 seconds to go to preserve the tie.
“While it isn’t a win, the 1-1 tie speaks volumes about what this team is capable of,” said Ada second-year head coach Doug Dewese. “We have, for years, been beaten around by Riverdale in girls soccer.
“I challenged the girls before the game to defend their home field and to make a statement to other teams we still have to face,” he continued. “This tie makes a pretty strong statement that we are capable of playing with anyone.
“We played as a team and left every ounce on the field, unlike Tuesday against St. John’s,” the coach noted. “I can’t single out a player alone for outstanding effort, this was a team effort.”
Riverdale upset Bluffton on its home field in overtime last fall in the district final.
The Bulldogs (0-1 NWC) play at Northwest Conference foe Crestview (0-4, 0-1 NWC) Monday, September 11.
