By Cort Reynolds
ADA – Five members of the Ada High School girls soccer team earned well-deserved All-North Central Ohio Soccer Association honors in voting recently conducted by the league coaches.
The youthful Bulldogs are 10-6 and set a program record for regular season wins this fall.
“It speaks highly of these girls’ accomplishments,” said Ada head coach Doug Dewese of the five honorees. “We struggled in NCOSA, but these ladies still impressed the (league) coaches.”
Skilled junior defender Alex Gibson was voted first team all-league.
“Obviously Alex is a leader and defensive powerhouse, and she’s found the net a few times with goals and assists,” said Dewese. She also took most of the Bulldog corner kicks and excelled in that department.
Gibson, an excellent passer with good touch, has scored four goals and doled out five assists this season while directing much of the Ada offense.
Quick senior forward Lexi Poling and tough senior midfielder Karley Wagner were named second team all-conference.
Poling leads the team with 11 goals. She also has one assist.
“Lexi was one vote shy of making first team, and I think she was deserving of it,” said Dewese. “I wish she had gotten it.”
Wagner, a strong and rugged defender, has tallied three goals and dished out three assists.
“Karley is a workhorse whose presence alone makes her a well-known player in the league,” said the coach. “She has the bumps and bruises to prove the physical play handed out on her.”
Quick sophomore defender Reese Jordan and steady freshman goalkeeper Emily Gibson were voted honorable mention all-league.
“Reese and Emily getting honorable mention shows the strength of our young program and the potential for growth,” said Dewese. “Both those ladies are setting themselves up as future leaders of this team both in action and overall leadership – which is a big thing to say about a sophomore and a freshman.”
Gibson led NCOSA in saves with 133, and has posted a very solid 1.5 goals against average. She and the defense have authored six shutouts.
Gibson ranks 29th in the state and 10th in Division V in total saves.
“With the league being so tough, there are a lot of good players the coaches have to decide between,” Dewese noted.
“Getting girls on the board is just another success for the team as a whole,” he summed up. “Individual accolades don’t happen without the support of the team around them.”
Speedy Riverdale sophomore forward Marissa Bonham was named NCOSA Player of the Year.
League co-champions Liberty-Benton and Riverdale tied for the title with identical 4-0-1 records. Each placed three girls on the 11-player first team.
Loaded L-B put three more girls on the second team, while the Falcons had two on the second squad. Liberty and Riverdale also had four players apiece earn honorable mention notice.
Upper Sandusky finished second in the league standings at 3-2, followed by Van Buren (2-3), Ada (1-4) and Cory-Rawson (0-5).
Led by some veteran upperclassmen plus arguably the deepest and most talented freshman class in program history, the Bulldog girls have enjoyed a fine season and are poised for more in the near future.
