By Cort Reynolds
The Ada High School girls soccer team battled visiting powerhouse Miller City tough before losing a hard-fought 2-1 match Thursday evening, October 12, in the regular season finale at War Memorial Stadium.
The game was scoreless after intermission as the Bulldog defense bent but never broke against the Wildcat attack.
With the close loss, Ada finished its regular season 7-6-3 overall. Putnam County League leader MC improved to 15-1-1 with the victory.
The Wildcats scored early and held on for the win. Junior Hailey Warnimont and sophomore Danica Ehlers tallied for MC, her 31st of the season.
The Bulldog girls tallied on a goal by junior Lexi Poling. Senior Olivia Burkhart sent a crossing pass that classmate Ella Marshall redirected to Poling, who found the back of the net.
The score was 2-1 and stayed that way for the final 56 minutes.
“If not for a slow start and letting a goal in so quick, this is a 1-1 tie with a 15-win team,” said Ada head coach Doug Dewese. “Miller City is up there with Liberty-Benton, Van Buren and other strong teams this year.
“So while a 2-1 loss isn’t going in the win column, we put a phenomenal effort into a tough game,” he continued. “MC had let in just five goals all season prior to our meeting, and had scored 84. And we played them down to the wire.
“Hard to praise a loss, but this was a tough, gritty and well-played effort by our girls,” he added.
MC kept the pressure up in the second half in an attempt to add to their lead, but was continually thwarted. A Wildcat shot went just wide at the 34:19 mark.
Almost five minutes later, Ada keeper Katie Sizemore made a fine diving save to her right to deflect a low shot away.
Wildcat senior Isabel Reyna drew a foul in the box, but her penalty kick try clanged off the post with 30:34 remaining to keep the margin at one goal.
A right corner kick by MC came up short at the 24:36 juncture, followed by a left corner kick with 21:25 left.
Sizemore made another diving save on a loose ball shot in front of the goal 19 seconds later.
MC had a promising chance stopped by an off-sides call at 19:47. Sizemore saved an Ehlers shot at the 18:09 juncture.
Sizemore grabbed a rolling shot with 11:41 to play.
A left-footed shot by Ehlers was snagged by Sizemore with 10:04 to go.
MC junior Anna Niese fired a shot from straight on about 20 yards out that went right to Sizemore for another save with five minutes left.
The speedy Marshall then made a nice run upfield before being stopped by the Wildcat defense. Burkhart picked up the dislodged ball, but her shot was blocked by a defender’s leg with 3:48 remaining.
MC lofted a high shot that bounced near the goal and was pulled down cleanly by Sizemore with 2:15 to go before the Wildcats could try to head it in, followed by a minor collision with the charging Ehlers.
Ada kept attacking to the end, but ran out of time.
Bulldog goalkeeper Sizemore made 15 saves on the 17 Wildcats shots fired on goal.
The fifth-seeded Ada girls host seventh seed Galion (3-8-2) in a sectional first round match Tuesday, October 17 at 5 p.m. A Bulldog win would break a tie for the program record of most wins in a season (seven).
The winner advances to visit top seed Van Buren (11-2-2) Thursday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. Ada lost at home to NCOSA runner-up VB by a 3-0 score on Oct. 4.
