Perrysburg senior Grace Lagendonk kicks the ball, resulting in a score off a direct free kick during the first half of a soccer match against Sylvania Northview on Thursday at Steinecker Stadium. Perrysburg defeated Northview 5-0. (Scott W. Grau | Sentinel-Tribune)
By Bryce Hudik
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
PERRYSBURG — Five different Yellow Jackets scored Wednesday night at Steinecker stadium giving Perrysburg a convincing 5-0 victory over visiting Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division competitor Sylvania Northview.
Much like the first meeting between Perrysburg and Northview, it was all Yellow Jackets. Perrysburg had a 10-1 advantage in shots on goal and about the same ratio in corner kick opportunities.
“Last game that we played, we struggled the very first half and our goal tonight was to score quick and early so that the seniors got an opportunity to play a lot,” said Perrysburg coach Jorge Diaz.
Score quick they did. Camille Francis opened the gates with a goal at the 32:32 mark. A one-on-one with the Northview goalkeeper, she was initially denied, but did not quit and put it past the keeper on a second effort.
A Perrysburg free kick scored off the foot of Grace Lagendonk just 14 seconds later at 32:18, gave the Yellow Jackets a lighting quick 2-0 lead.
At 22:53, a perfectly booted pass across the front of the goalie from Lauren McConnachie set up the sure-footed Sophie Mitchell, who put it in the back of the net without issue.
The scoring in the half concluded with another second effort goal, this time by Alexis Kaufold, putting Perrysburg out in front 4-0 at the break.
The second half saw a more competitive match with only one goal scored by the Yellow Jackets. That came when Emma Ogdahl found the back of the net at 32:58, scoring her 13th goal of the season.
Diaz said the Jackets are trying to finish the regular season on a high note.
“We still have five tough games left that’re going to test us before the tournament, so we have to close out strong and learn all we can from those games,” said Diaz.
Second-year Northview coach Allen Newbold, who says his Wildcats are trending in the right direction, said, “We’re trying to build a program, every training day, every game we try to take a step forward even if it’s the littlest thing. Just try to gain more knowledge and more skill and by continuing to do that I think that we can ultimately end up with a winning record.”
Northview is slated to face their Sylvania crosstown rival Southview next Monday at Cat Stadium. They fall to an even 5-5 on the year, including 2-3 in league play.
Perrysburg boosts their record to 8-3 with an impressive 6-1 record in Northern Lakes League play. The Yellow Jackets and Anthony Wayne both have one league loss, to each other, and if both teams win out they will share the title.
The Yellow Jackets have a gauntlet left to end the regular season, starting with a quick turnaround matchup against the nationally-ranked Medina Highland Hornets at Steinecker Stadium at noon on Saturday.
