Girls soccer: Medina beats defending state champion Bay

BAY VILLAGE — The young Medina girls soccer team continues to grow up quickly. The Bees turned in another impressive performance Saturday with a 4-1 non-league victory over reigning Division III state champion Bay. Medina (4-0-1) led from the beginning and never looked back behind three assists from sophomore Sophia Lazar and two goals by freshman Emma McTigue. "I'm feeling really great," defender Becca Keserich said. "We really worked as a team and connected well. It was a big confidence boost for us to win against a really good team." The starting back line of Keserich, fellow senior Caitlyn Taylor and junior Madi Kautzman, along with goalies Brianna McCashin and Ashleigh Walburn, anchored an outstanding effort that held the Rockets (3-2) to just five shots on goal. "Our back line works really well together," Keserich said. "We're all really connected. We can trust each other and trust our wingers to get back. It's really nice to have that connection with my teammates." The makeup of this season's Bay squad is certainly different than the one that won a state title. Most notably, Tessa Knapp and her 179 high school goals now play for Notre Dame. The Rockets are coached by former Medina coach Scott Simpson, who guided the Bees from 1995-2007 and led the program to its first state title (1997). Lazar recorded her first assist just four minutes in when she found senior Sydney Atkinson, who slipped the ball by goalie Riley Mitchell (2 saves). The shot by Atkinson was the first on target by the Bees, who scored on their first two shots on goal. Atkinson's next two assists went to McTigue, with the duo playing a great two-person game on a run with 11:57 left in the first half. Then four minutes into the second half, Lazar found McTigue again and the midfielder made a fancy spin move to beat a defender and get the ball by reserve goalie Olivia Ruma (5 saves). Ruma entered the game following halftime. "We're really good at making dangerous runs," Lazar said. "We stay connected and have had really good opportunities." Though this is McTigue and Lazar's first time playing together in high school, their rapport goes back far longer. The chemistry was undeniable against the Rockets. "I've played travel with her since I was in third grade," McTigue said of Lazar. "So, we've had that bond. She's a year older, so we've gotten to reconnect this year and it really shows." Trailing 3-0, Bay showed some fight midway through the second half when junior Dani Coffman got the ball off a deflection high in the box and fired it by McCashin (4 saves), who left the game following the goal due to an apparent injury. Walburn came on and organized the defense to keep the Rockets from gaining any more traction. Walburn did not face a shot on goal in the final 18:54. Just over one minute after Coffman's goal, Medina slammed the door shut when freshman Avery Atkinson got the ball and fed it into the box to senior Ella Wilgor, who made a fantastic sliding attempt to flick the ball high into the net. As good as the Medina defense was, the midfield did a great job of limiting through balls and quickly eradicating threats. The midfield was led by starters Avery Atkinson, McTigue, Wilgor, Annaliese Ebert and Naomi Sundermeier. Sundermeier nearly gave Medina a fifth goal with 9:58 remaining, but Ruma made an excellent diving stop. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 4, Bay 1 MEDINA 2 2 — 4 BAY 0 1 — 1 First M — Sydney Atkinson (Sophia Lazar), 35:59. M — Emma McTigue (Lazar), 11:57. Second M — McTigue (Lazar), 36:02. B — Dani Coffman, 18:54. M — Ella Wilgor (Avery Atkinson), 17:28. Shots on goal — Medina 11, Bay 5. Corner kicks — Medina 3, Bay 1. Saves — Brianna McCashin (M) 4, Ashleigh Walburn (M) 0, Riley Mitchell (B) 2, Olivia Ruma (B) 5. Records — Medina (4-0-1), Bay (3-2).