By Cort Reynolds

The Ada High School girls soccer team battled hard but lost 5-0 at top-seeded Van Buren Thursday evening, October 19, on a muddy field to conclude their memorable season in the Div. III sectional final round.

With the season-ending loss, Ada finished 8-7-3 overall and authored the program’s first winning soccer season in over 20 years.

VB improved to 12-3-2 with the win and advanced to the district semifinals next week.

The Black Knights led 2-0 at halftime, and tacked on three goals in the second half to post the win.

“We had hoped the (rainy) weather would benefit us against a very technical Van Buren team,” said Ada second-year head coach Doug Dewese. “Sloppy weather creates sloppy play.

“Unfortunately the sloppy play due to the weather benefitted them more than us,” he noted. “We score off quick counters and by creating chaos in a backline, and we just couldn’t do that in this weather on a very, very muddy field. 

“Both goal mouths were pretty much mud pits,” he continued. “When you can’t generate counter-attacks and you allow enough shots on your keeper playing in a mud hole, it becomes hard to win.”

Bulldog senior keeper Katie Sizemore saved 13 of the 18 Knight shots on goal. 

“Our girls played super hard, we just ended the season earlier than we would have liked,” said Dewese. 

The Bulldogs previously lost at home to the NCOSA runner-up Black Knights 3-0 on Oct. 4.

Dewese summed up the historic season Ada enjoyed.

“We had the first winning record in 20-plus years, had the most wins in program history (8), had the most Ada players recognized in NWC and NCOSA awards history, and broke several long-standing personal records.

“This has been the most successful season Ada girls soccer has seen,” he went on. “And we hope it is a springboard for great things to come. 

“We lose eight phenomenal seniors; that’s a hard loss to recoup next year. But they have set a great standard for future program teams to reach for,” Dewese said.