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The soccer tournament
for girls is one of the youngest of the state�s championship tournaments, having
its beginning in 1985. While its history has been a short one, this tournament
has nonetheless proven to be just as interesting and as exciting as all of the
others. It has been a tournament where teams may have dominated for a few
years, six or seven at best, but never over the long haul. Also, until the last
half dozen seasons, no one part of the state has really had a corner on girls�
soccer championships. Both of these reasons have contributed to making the
competition keen and the interest intense.
When the tournament first began in 1985,
all of the schools that had a girls soccer program
played for a single state championship. That set-up
lasted until the 1995-1996 school year, when the schools
were divided into two Divisions, I and II, based on
student population.
The first school to rise to the top of
the state tournament was Clayton Northmont. The team
burst onto the tournament scene just as its nickname
implies, like Thunderbolts. Coached by Bill Krintzline,
the Thunderbolts took the state by storm in winning the
first championship in 1985, finishing the season with a
perfect 24-0-0 record. Those 24 victories are still a
single season high by any girls team in Ohio. Northmont
lost in the semi-finals in 1986, dropping a 3-2 shootout
decision to eventual state champion Cincinnati Turpin,
but then the girls came back like the thunderbolts of
their namesake.
In 1987 the Thunderbolts went into the
title game against North Olmsted without a loss, and
just one tie, in 24 games. As the clock ticked away the
final minutes the score was deadlocked at one goal
apiece. Then, just when all in attendance were getting
ready for overtime, Northmont�s Gina Grossarth found
the back of the net with her second goal of the game.
That winning goal came with just five ticks left on the
game clock!
In 1988 the Thunderbolts again made it to
the final four. This time they defeated North Olmsted
in the semi-final game, 3-1. In the championship match
the Thunderbolt�s Molly Postlewait scored midway through
the second half to give Northmont (20-4-1) a 2-1 victory
over Cincinnati Anderson High School. (Clayton
Northmont High School was truly on the top of Ohio high
school soccer in 1988, for the boys team had also won
the state championship, posting a perfect 25-0 season.)
In 1989 coach Krintzline�s Thunderbolts
advanced to the semi-finals for the fifth consecutive
year, the only team to make it to the final four each
year of the young tournament. Compared to the previous
tournaments, this one proved to be relatively easy for
Northmont as they defeated Medina, 3-0, in the
semi-finals, then won the state championship with a 4-1
victory over West Carrollton. That marked four
championships in five seasons. The Thunderbolts are
still the only girls team to capture four state soccer
titles, and they are the only team, boys or girls, to
win three in a row (1987-88-89).
The �center� of Ohio girls soccer now
shifted a bit to the east of Clayton, to just north of
Columbus to Westerville, where two schools, Westerville
North and Westerville South, would pretty much dominate
the scene for the next half dozen seasons.
In 1990, Westerville North, coached by
Tim Lawrence, was one of the top ranked teams in both
Ohio and the U.S. The Warriors advanced to the state
finals with a record of 20-1-2, but there they would
have to meet the Centerville Elks, 22-1-1, and ranked #7
in the U.S. to Westerville�s #18. As one might expect
with two such highly ranked and skillful teams facing
off against each other, it was a defensive struggle from
the get go. Centerville may have had an added
incentive, since their lone defeat had come at the hands
of North, but throughout the entire contest neither team
could score a goal, the game ending in a 0-0 tie. Then,
in a complete reversal of form, lightning struck. With
just 15 seconds gone in the overtime session, even
before Centerville could set its defense, Westerville�s
Kara Waltz buried a shot into the Centerville net to
give the Warriors their first state championship.
In 1991 coach Lawrence�s team was even
better. They advanced through the entire season
undefeated, and entered the state championship match
ranked #1 in both Ohio and the U.S. Their opponent in
the finals would be St. Ursula Academy (20-1-2) from
Cincinnati, a team that was also nationally ranked.
Although Westerville out shot St. Ursula, the first half
ended scoreless. In the second half the Bulldogs from
Cincinnati came out shooting, and the shots found their
mark as they defeated North by a score of 3-0.
In 1992 Westerville North was again at
the top of its game, advancing to the state finals with
another undefeated team, 20-0-3, and ranked #1 in Ohio
and #5 in the country. Their opponent, like it had been
in 1990, was the Centerville Elks. The game was close
throughout the first half, with the Elks scoring the
only goal to take a 1-0 lead. The fireworks in this one
came eight minutes into the second half, when
Westerville scored to tie the game. Just two and
one-half minutes later Westerville scored again to take
a 2-1 lead, a lead they enjoyed for exactly 21 seconds
before the Elks tied the score. The game remained tied
until there was 15:11 left to play, at which time
Westerville�s three-time All-Ohio and two-time
All-American, Lisa Suttmiller, scored the goal that gave
the Warriors a 3-2 victory and their second state
championship.
Westerville North advanced to the state
finals for the fourth straight year in 1993, facing
another previous championship game rival, St. Ursula
Academy. The game was played at Hilliard High School on
a muddy, sloppy field in a steady, and occasionally
heavy, rain. Westerville coach Tim Lawrence had hoped
that the field conditions would slow down the quicker
St. Ursula squad, but such was not to be the case. The
Bulldogs of coach Bob Sheehan proved to be real
�mudders� as they scored twice in each half to hand
North a 4-1 defeat and win for St. Ursula its second
state soccer championship. (This proved to be a huge
day, and a huge year, for St. Ursula Academy athletics.
That same day the Bulldogs won the Div. II state
volleyball championship, and earlier in the year they
had won the girls state swim title.)
While the Westerville North run of
success had come to an end, the girls from Westerville
South emerged to keep the city�s name at the top of
Ohio�s high school soccer world for two more seasons.
To say that the Wildcats� tournament success in 1994
came as a bit of a surprise would be a mild
understatement. The girls entered the tournament with a
less than impressive record of 9-6-1, but as the saying
goes, they peaked at just the right time. Six games
later they found themselves headed to the state finals,
playing for a championship against the undefeated
Centerville Elks. The Elks took a 1-0 lead just 3:27
into the game, but that would be their only point of the
day. South�s Brynn Catino tied the game with 32:34 left
to play, then 17 minutes later Ms. Catino nailed the
game winner to give the Wildcats a 2-1 victory - and a
most improbable state championship. That championship
was all the sweeter for Wildcats coach Gil McGovern, who
won his first state championship while coaching his
final game before retirement.
In 1995, under new coach Bobby Weimer,
the Wildcats had an even better season. Now playing in
Division I, Westerville South �cruised� through the
season, entering the state finals with a record of
19-1-2. Their championship match against Hudson High
School was postponed for three days because of bad
weather, but it was well worth the wait. The game was
scoreless after the first half, but the Wildcats out
scored the Explorers 3-1 in the second session to take
home their second consecutive state championship.
Westerville South has only advanced to the girls soccer
final four twice (1994-95), but made it pay off each
time.
From 1996 to 2005 the northeastern part
of Ohio has emerged as the dominant section of the state
for girls soccer. Of the 20 championships won over that
period of time, 13 have been by teams from this area.
Chagrin Falls High School started this trend by winning
the Division II state title in 1996. After losing the
Division I championship match in 1996, the Bees of
Medina High School came right back to finish the job in
1997 with a 3-1 victory over Worthington�s Thomas
Worthington High School. In 1998, the Strongsville High
School Mustangs started on what for them would be a
still continuing run of success by winning their first
Division I state championship.
Beginning in 1999, Hudson High School
would play in three consecutive Division I championship
matches. That year they lost 3-2 in a shootout with
West Chester Lakota West, but they came back to win the
state title by defeating Cincinnati�s Mother of Mercy
High School in 2000. In 2001 the Explorers found out
the hard way that it is not easy to defend a state
title, dropping a 2-0 decision to a powerful Dublin
Coffman team.
While Hudson was doing a creditable job
representing the northeast in Division I, two other
schools were having even better success in Division II.
In 1999, Bay Village won the first of an eventual three
state titles, while in 2000 and 2001 the girls from
Walsh Jesuit in Cuyahoga Falls totally dominated the
division with back-to-back championships. In fact, the
Warriors (21-0-1) of coach Dino McIntyre were the toast
of the soccer world for the entire country in 2000 in
2000, as they were named the national champions.
In 2002 and 2003 the northeast almost
made a clean sweep of both divisional championships. In
Division II, Bay Village won consecutive state titles,
giving the Rockets three championships in the last five
seasons. In Division I, Strongsville took the title in
2002, but in 2003 they found their way blocked by one of
the all-time great teams, and players, in the state.
That team was Dublin Coffman High School, and that
player was the Shamrocks� aptly named Kelly Quinn. Ms
Quinn was named Ohio�s �Player of the Year� three
consecutive years, 2002-03-04, as well as being named an
All-American all three of those seasons. In 2003 the
Shamrocks (23-0-1) ended Strongsville�s (21-1-1) reign
atop Division I with a 1-0 victory in a game that
matched the two best defenses in the state. Coffman
added one last crown that year by also being named
national champions.
In 2004 the northeast again grabbed a
double championship. Walsh Jesuit, now playing in
Division I, knocked off defending champion Dublin
Coffman, 2-1, to give the Warriors their third state
title. In Division II, Hathaway Brown of Shaker Heights
made its only trip to the final four one to remember by
defeating Cincinnati Indian Hill, 2-1, in overtime to
win the school�s only state championship.
Strongsville�s Mustangs continued their
fine play of the last eight years in 2005 by winning the
school�s third Division I championship.
While this report has focused mainly on
the top teams in Ohio girls soccer, it would be remiss
if it did not also point out some of the outstanding
young ladies whose contributions have helped make Ohio
one of the most exciting venues for high school soccer
in the country. Besides the already mentioned Kelly
Quinn, several other girls have achieved All-American
status during their high school careers. Kristin
Persichini from Walsh Jesuit was twice named to that
elite list, in 2002 and 2003. Elise Falatach (Bay
Village, 2002), Carrie LaCroix (Bexley, 2003), Kristin
May (Walsh, 2004), and Courtney Rosen (Hathaway Brown,
2004) have also attained All-American status.
In addition, several girls are at or near
the top nationally in several statistical categories.
For example, Kelli Pierce recorded 53 saves in a game
for Circleview Logan Elm back in 2000, setting a
national record, while Rebecca Roggelin (Oregon Cardinal
Stitch, 2001-2004) is #2 in career saves with 1103, and
Cathy Glover (Sidney High School, 1991-94) is right
behind her in third place with 1013. On the offensive
side of the ball, Findlay�s Kristy Coppes scored 13
goals in a single game back in 2000, good for second in
the country in that category. |
