Division I        Division II        

Division I Championship
Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy 1, Strongsville 0

2008 Division I State Champions
Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy

Championship Recap
In a rematch of the 2007 OHSAA Division I girls soccer state championship, second-ranked Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy prevailed once again, beating sixth-ranked Strongsville 1-0 Saturday in Columbus Crew Stadium.

St. Ursula, which beat Strongsville 2-0 in the 2007 finals, finishes the season 20-0-3 and wins its fourth girls soccer state title in school history to tie Clayton Northmont and Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit for the most girls soccer championships in OHSAA history.

The Bulldogs went 20-1-2 last season for a two-year record of 40-1-5 and two state championships. St. Ursula’s first two state titles came in 1991 and 1993.

Strongsville, which was also aiming for its fourth state title, wraps up its season 21-2-1.

St. Ursula junior Elizabeth Burchenal scored a remarkable unassisted goal in the 44th minute with a drive into the 18-yard box through the upper-left corner. She sidestepped two Strongsville defenders and blasted a shot past Mustang senior goalkeeper Nicole Wood from nine yards out.

Strongsville out-shot St. Ursula 15-6 and put seven shots on goal, but Bulldog junior goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe saved all seven. Strongsville took five corner kicks, while St. Ursula had none.

  Division II Championship
Middletown Bishop Fenwick 1, Akron Archbishop Hoban 0

2008 Division II State Champions
Middletown Bishop Fenwick High School

Championship Recap
Middletown Bishop Fenwick senior Alexis Heard scored with eight minutes left in the game and Akron Archbishop Hoban missed a game-tying penalty kick with 1:12 remaining as the Falcons won the OHSAA Division II girls soccer state championship 1-0 Saturday in Columbus Crew Stadium.

Third-ranked Fenwick (19-4-0) had never advanced past the district tournament before this season, but went 7-0 in the postseason and outscored its opponents 16-2 along the way.

Second-ranked Hoban (21-2-1) brought an 18-game winning streak into the state championship game and had shut out its last nine opponents, outscoring them 39-0.

Entering the championship game, Hoban had been shut out only once this season, that coming in its fifth game of the regular season against Lodi Cloverleaf, a 0-0 tie.

There were not many scoring chances for either team in the first 60 minutes of the game, but Fenwick slowly began to gain the majority of possession and in the 72nd minute found the back of the net. Fenwick freshman defender Selby Smith collected the ball on the midfield line and kicked it high and over several Hoban defenders toward Heard, who tapped it to her left, spun away from a defender and sent a left-footed shot into the right side of the net.

Hoban immediately stepped up its pressure in the waning minutes and it resulted in Fenwick foul inside the 18-yard box with 1:12 left in the game. Hoban junior Juliana Libertin’s penalty kick went wide right, however, and the Fenwick did not allow another chance at overtime.

Hoban out-shot Fenwick 14-7 and had more corner kicks, 4-2. There were seven shots on goal combined, with Hoban having four and Fenwick three.

Fenwick junior goalkeeper Mary Turvy had four saves, two in each half. Hoban senior keeper Francesca Gironda had two saves, both in the first half.