Girls soccer: Blazing start carries Medina past Highland

GRANGER TWP. — The Medina girls soccer team couldn't have drawn up a better start to its initial Suburban League National Conference meeting against Medina County rival Highland. The Bees scored twice in the first 6:09 and cashed in their first three shots on goal Wednesday en route to defeating the Hornets 4-0. "It was really important (to start fast)," sophomore Emma McTigue said. "Coming into this game we wanted to start off very fast and be aggressive in the first 10 minutes, like we always say. "The first goal early really helped that." McTigue, an All-American as a freshman, cashed in that first goal after she took a pass from Emma Fischbach with 36:09 left in the first half. McTigue finished with two goals. A few moments later, Fischbach gave the Bees (4-1, 2-0) a 2-0 lead with 33:51 on the clock when she floated a shot that just slipped off the fingertips of goalie Abby Karger (2 saves). The start had a stunning effect on the Hornets (4-2, 1-1), who entered on a two-game winning streak, had scored in every game and had allowed more than one goal only once. "I feel like getting scored on that quickly feels defeating in the moment," Highland senior Penny Dykeman said. "We all just need to keep our heads up after that. Some players get really hard on themselves and think, 'Oh, that was my fault.' It's a team effort and not one person's fault." Dykeman entered the game tied with fellow captain Jordyn Caples for the team lead in goals with four, but Medina pitched its third shutout by holding Highland to just three shots on goal, including none in the first half. Medina goalie Delaney Miller handled all challenges smoothly. "I just think that some of us just need to be more confident in ourselves to take the one-v-one," Dykeman said. "We never really got to test their keeper, taking the shot just to see how the keeper plays, if she'll give up the ball or not. "We need to connect and play as a whole team more, switch the field side to side to get them off-balance in the back." The Bees entered the SL National following winning the Greater Cleveland Conference championship last season. Highland won the SL American. Medina held a 6-3 edge in shots on goal and a 4-1 margin in corner kicks, as the Bees pressured the Hornets deep in Highland's defensive end to make clearing the ball a challenge. The Bees have 13 goals during their four-game winning streak after being shut out 2-0 against back-to-back Division III state champion Bay to begin the season. "We have a lot more confidence now than we did in the beginning," senior captain Kellyn Miller said. "It was a rough beginning, but it's just onward from here. We're really excited." Medina's fast start wasn't quite over, as Nadya Clarke poked in a Annaliese Ebert corner kick with 24:13 left in the first half for a 3-0 lead. The Bees came out equally aggressive in the second half, but were unable to cash in on a couple opportunities in the first three minutes. McTigue missed the frame to the right on a shot and then Kellyn Miller had a shot go off the post. McTigue netted a security goal when she headed in an Ebert corner kick with 7:51 remaining. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 4, Highland 0 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;3 1 — 4 HIGHLAND &emsp;&emsp;&emsp; 0 0 — 0 First M — Emma McTigue (Emma Fischbach), 36:09. M — Fischbach, 33:51. M — Nadya Clarke (Annaliese Ebert), 24:13. Second M — McTigue (Ebert), 7:51. Shots on goal — Medina 6, Highland 3. Corner kicks — Medina 4, Highland 1. Saves — Delaney Miller (M) 3, Abby Karger (H) 2. Records — Medina (4-1, 2-0), Highland (4-2, 1-1). Junior varsity — Highland 1, Medina 1.