High school soccer: Strong Avon defense proves to be Medina girls' undoing

MEDINA — Through 18 games, the Medina girls soccer team made a living playing strong defense. Thursday, the second-seeded Bees found out what it's like to be on the other side in a 1-0 loss to sixth-seeded Avon in the Division I, Northeast 6 District final. The Bees (14-3-2) only allowed three shots on goal, but Avon (11-3-4) didn't give up one. As a result, the Eagles will play District 5 winner Brunswick (13-3-3) in a rematch of an Aug. 24 matchup won 3-0 by the Blue Devils. "They just flew to the ball, man, that's all there was to it," Medina coach Brad Wojnarowsky said. "They were all over us every time we had it. They beat us up. Our (lack of) size up front killed us. I was nervous about the size matchup after watching film earlier in the week. They go hard and aggressive to the ball." It seemed every time Chloe Tesny, Olivia Sipsock or Rachel Smith were poised to take the ball deep into Eagles territory, Mackenzie Muir, Lauren Bernath, Catie Geiger or Mara Jaracz was there to stop Ariana Vakos from having to do anything in goal. The Bees had opportunities in the offensive third — until one of the four players in front of Vakos stepped in to stop the attack. "They had a lot of people in the back," Smith said. "We were not connected offensively whatsoever. We just couldn't get anything past them. They were strong back there. They did play good defense." The one time the Bees had a solid opportunity, Avon rose to the occasion. It came 2:34 before the break when Tesny beat Vakos 12 yards outside the box, but Jaracz came from out of nowhere to stop the shot and maintain a one-goal advantage. "They were attacking every ball," Tesny said. "We just had to match their intensity. They were holding back their defense. Once they scored, they were really parking the bus and staying back on defense. We just had to attack more. We had our chances, but we just didn't finish them." Avon's goal came 10:22 in when Muir sent a shot from 35 yards that tucked under the crossbar and over the outstretched arms of Belle Wagner. "The fact that it came so early in the game allowed them to settle in," Wojnarowsky said. "To their credit, that first 25 minutes they played out of their minds. We always play the same, which is a good thing to have because we never get too high or too low. We were trying to bide our time and got a bit better near the end of the half. We just couldn't get behind their back line." The seniors leave the program having made four straight district finals and a state semifinal. The class went 63-9-8. "I've always been proud to be part of Medina," Bees defender Bailey Olin said. "We're strong every single year. These underclassmen want it so bad. I know they worked so hard for us seniors this year. I can't wait for them to get back and beat this Avon team next year." The Bees lose nine seniors, including starters Tori Lyncha, Maddie Elbert, Olin and Tesny, leaving unfinished business in 2021. "The determination will hopefully be there, especially after a loss like this," Smith said. "We need to wake up." Contact Brad Bournival at bournival929@gmail.com. Division I, Northeast 6 District finalAvon 1, Medina 0AVON 1 0 — 0MEDINA 0 0 — 0FirstA — McKenzie Muir, 29:38.Shots on goal — Avon 3, Medina 0. Corner kicks — Avon 3, Medina 3. Saves — Ariana Vakos (A) 0, Belle Wagner (M) 2. Records — Medina (14-3-2) Avon (11-3-4).