Champion continues to roll with win over Rams
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CHAMPION -- As freshmen in 2023, Champion’s seven seniors were part of the Golden Flashes' regional finalist run. Now in their final year on the roster, those same girls are guiding their own team and are eager for the chance to make a return trip.
Through 10 games, Champion boasts a 9-0-1 record, adding to their win total on Wednesday with an 8-0 victory over Mineral Ridge.
"Our possession, everything that we’re working on in practice, it’s growing, and they’re able to apply it on the field," Flashes coach Emily Metheny said. "We got everybody in again today, and everybody was able to execute. It is awesome to see these girls learning and applying, and us being able to come out with the win. They’re executing."
Senior Rachel Wiedenheft had a dominant performance against the Rams, tallying four goals. She and Jackie Fields, who also scored once on Wednesday, have combined into a fearsome duo for Champion.
"Rachel’s doing great up top with Jackie, and we’re getting our center mids involved," Metheny said. "We’re just seeing that leadership across the board, all the way building from the back and getting the shots out on top, and then capitalizing. It’s awesome."
Abagail Pattinson scored a pair of goals in the first half, including one that came with 1.7 seconds remaining on the clock.
Sophomore Sabrina Boggs scored her first career goal in the waning minutes of Wednesday’s contest.
As the month of October begins, the postseason is creeping up on everyone. The senior-laden Flashes have their eyes toward a deep tournament run and know what it takes to get there. Playing in a regional title game as freshmen is valuable experience, and they have embraced the role of passing on what they’ve learned to the team’s younger kids.
"They were freshmen that year, so they know what it takes, and they’re really taking that leadership role and trying to apply that to our underclassmen so they can know what it feels like to make a good run," Metheny said. "It’s that maturity level of being able to show up no matter who you’re playing and sticking to the game plan, being smart and giving that full effort and heart. Those girls are really showing that we’re peaking at the right time of the season."
To Metheny, there’s no secret sauce for Champion to have a successful tournament run. It just comes down to continue doing what they’ve done to make it this far this season.
"We’re really just staying true to our game," she said. "They can’t play it into whoever we’re playing, or being worried about where we’re at, or anything like that. Staying true to our program, what we’re learning, and really just everything that they have built together as a Champion family, and we should be able to stay strong.
"Sticking to the game plan, and us not waxing back at all and getting comfortable. You can never be comfortable in the game of soccer. There’s 80 minutes, and that’s the beauty of it. You have to play all the way through. So as long as these stay strong going forward and really don’t wax off, we should be good to go."
Champion travels to Ashtabula County today for a game against Edgewood.