Roughriders win sixth straight; Bath next.
There was no looking ahead although Thursday’s game is a big one.
But first, St. Marys had to take care of Western Buckeye League foe Elida — and did — with a 4-2 victory on Monday in large part because of Lilly Ankerman’s two first-half goals.
Now, bring on Thursday.
The Roughriders (7-3-1, 5- 0-1 WBL) — winners of six straight — have a date with No. 6-ranked Bath on Thursday with another WBL title on the line as was the case two years ago when St. Marys beat the Wildcats at Roughrider Field.
“There are no guarantees in the WBL,” Roughriders coach Nick Wilson said. “I thought we dominated in the first half, [Elida coach] Elise [ Jenkins] runs a tight program at Elida, got them reorganized and brought them back.
“They know that it
is one game at a time and they know that in order to have a crack at it [winning the WBL] they had to get through this one.”
Ankerman got the Roughriders going at the 24:47 mark of the first half when she split a trio of defenders, then beat the final Elida defender before launching the ball just over the outstretched fingers of the goalkeeper for a 1- 0 lead.
The senior tallied her second goal when Tabby Knous shot the ball to the goal, which was deflected, as Ankerman cleaned it up for a 2- 0 lead with 13:20 left in the first half.
Ankerman almost had a hat trick in the second half when she shot the ball toward the net, but ricocheted off the crossbar.
“She wants to play every minute and she’ll drag herself,” Wilson said of Ankerman. “She can be dead tired and she’ll still keep chugging. It’s unbelievable.
“She is a great asset to have on the team.”
Knous opened the second half with a goal at the 28:16 mark and Emma Birt got in on the scoring when she bounced the ball off her chest and into the goal with 6:30 left in regulation.
Knous recorded a pair of goals and Ankerman had the other to finish her night.
Elida added a pair of goals in the second half by Analei Jackson and Brooke Reese.
But the Bulldogs could have had three goals in the second half when Jackson attempted a penalty kick at the 31:32 mark of the second half, but Kiley Tennant dove to her left to smother the shot.
The St. Marys keeper finished with five saves.
Monday was also the most extensive varsity action junior Gabby Keller had played so far this season as she continues to return from her jet ski accident she had over the summer.
“She hasn’t been 100%,” Wilson added. “Mentally, she has been there and she’s frustrated that she is not getting time but she wasn’t there endurance
or fitness-wise. But to leave her and switch her to a couple of spots was beneficial.”
The attention now turns to Thursday.
The Wildcats broke a 1-1 tie with 12:00 left on Monday with a Chandler Clark goal on a free kick to give Bath a 2-1 win over Wapakoneta.
Bath endured its first loss against Anna on Sept. 19 but have outscored teams 9-2 in the last two games and have recorded three shutouts this season.
Wilson said the key to beating Bath is to minimize Chandler Clark’s opportunities. When the Roughriders won the league in 2018, Clark received a red card in the game, which hamstrung the Wildcats’ offense as the Roughriders came out with a win.
“If she gets free, she is going to do something tremendous,” Wilson said. “Our girls are mad about giving up the shutout tonight … but limiting Chandler Clark, Ainsley Miller and Rachel Clark and scoring more than they score are the secrets.”