The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rivalry ends in tie game
Olmsted Falls, Amherst remain in deadlock atop Southwestern Conference
Olmsted Falls traveled to Amherst Sept. 12, tied with the Comets for first place in the Southwestern Conference, and the teams battled to a 2-2 draw to remain firm atop the league with four conference matches left in the regular season.
The game was scoreless at halftime with both teams locked in on defense before Amherst standout Lexy Alston broke free.
The Comets came in with a new offensive game plan against Olmsted Falls (7-0-1, 4-0-1) and Alston took advantage when Anna Dudziak sent her a pass the junior launched right past Bulldogs goal keeper Mackenzie Simon at the 37:53 mark of the second half.
“That was the first time we tried that formation,” Alston said. “We were trying to take the outside mids, push them higher, and obviously it worked really well.”
“I got two amazing crosses from my teammates and was able to put it right in the net. That’s what we were looking for.”
Olmsted Falls sophomore Jordan Fusco knotted the score at one goal apiece with 17:41 left in regulation and suddenly the team had new life.
Alston scored her second goal of the night on an assist from Elley Vorhees with a little over five minutes to play but the Bulldogs were always there with an answer.
Senior Ashley Sandru tied the game once again less than two minutes later to force the draw and ensure the teams left the match as they entered it — in first place.
“We needed that, it was good that we finished,” Sandru said. “We knew (Amherst) is always the hardest team in our conference so it was a good game for both of us.
“We worked hard to get to this point.”
Prior to the match, Amherst (5-1-1, 4-0-1) had conceded a single goal all season — in the opener against Magnificat — while Olmsted Falls allowed only three goals to this point, and while defensive skill was certainly on display, the level of offense matched that intensity and the both teams played an incredibly physical game from start to finish.
“One thing that our girls have learned to do this season is just try and keep themselves in every game and find ways to stretch the field and find scoring opportunites,” Olmsted Falls coach Matt Safar said.
“Every time we play Amherst it’s an extremely physical, aggressive game . ... Lexy Alston up top is one of the best players in the state, so we tried to prep for her. Didn’t do a great job because she got two goals on us...it’s always a challenge.”