The Lake girls soccer team gets together for a group photo after their NBC-clinching 1-0 win over Maumee on Wednesday. (Nicholas Huenefeld | Sentinel-Tribune)
By Nicholas Huenefeld
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
MILLBURY — Savannah Little’s goal with 21:06 remaining lifted the Lake girls soccer team to a 1-0 win over Maumee on Wednesday inside Lake Community Stadium, completing an improbable undefeated regular season and clinching a share of the program’s first NBC crown since 2017.
The NBC title is Lake’s fifth overall since the league’s creation in 2011. The Flyers (13-0-3 overall) and Oak Harbor each finished with a 4-0-2 record in conference play, and the two teams tied 1-1 in their lone meeting on Aug. 28.
First-year coach Lauren Colangelo, who was a four-year standout for a very successful girls soccer program at Lake from 2009-12, took over a program that finished 5-7-5 last season, including a 2-4 record in league play.
On top of that, the team graduated Brianna Braatz, a four-year varsity forward who broke Lake’s single-season goals record with 35 en route to Second Team All-Ohio recognition.
So, it was tough for Colangelo to put into words what the turnaround meant to her.
“Coming back to this program meant everything to me,” she said. “It was my goal to try and put us back on the map. For far too long, people have underestimated that Lake can do anything in girls soccer, and tonight just proved that we can.”
One of Colangelo’s first moves as coach was attempting to replace the production of Braatz.
That’s where Little, a sophomore, came into play. A defender last year, she transitioned to forward and excelled, scoring in all but two games with three hat tricks en route to a 28 goal, seven assist regular season.
“This season, I would have never thought (we’d do this),” Little said. “I always knew we could do it, but it just doesn’t even feel real. Honestly, it’s crazy.
“Words can’t even describe. I’m just so proud of all of us, and it just shows all the hard work we put into this year because we’re still the same people. It’s just a new coach and a new dream.”
Another sophomore, Brooke Wiley, has 15 goals and 14 assists, and the duo connected for Wednesday’s game-winning goal.
“Brooke had the ball towards the midfield,” Little said. “There was just a wide-open gap. She played the ball through, and I just ran. I saw the goalie come out, so I took a touch and gave it as much as I had with my left foot.”
For a senior like Lauren Tobias, who has anchored Lake’s defense as the starting goalkeeper, the turnaround means a lot.
“This means so much to me,” she said. “From last year, not winning over half of our games to winning literally everything is just crazy to think about. I’m speechless right now.
“This is just so much. It’s crazy. We’re (going to be) in the (Lake Athletics) Hall of Fame (some day). I’m just happy.”
In the first half of Wednesday’s game, Lake outshot Maumee 10-6 but placed just two on frame, including one from Wiley with 6:20 left and another from Morgann Blandin with 4:57 remaining.
The two teams tightened up defensively in the second half as Wiley’s wide free kick with 23:11 remaining was the first shot for either squad.
“At halftime, we just talked about being a little stronger in the backline, doing what we knew we could do, not letting balls go by that shouldn’t, and they did just that,” Colangelo said.
Shortly thereafter, though, Little scored on her fourth shot of the game, setting off a celebration in front of a large crowd on senior night.
Maumee had its lone shot of the second half sail high with 8:01 remaining, and Little had another attempt go just above the goal with 3:05 to play.
“I think we did really well trusting each other, connecting passes and looking up,” Tobias said. “Obviously going to the ball helped a lot. We got good touches on the ball.”
In total, Lake outshot Maumee 14-7, although both teams had three shots on frame.
While Lake now awaits their postseason opponent, they will first savor their performance Wednesday.
