Giants top JC for title (10/17/05)

MARION — It remains the mountain too tall to climb, the channel too wide to swim, the chasm too vast to jump. And in this case, the Giant too large to fell. Someday they’ll make it happen, but not yet.

The Jay County Patriots appeared in their sixth girls soccer sectional championship game in seven years Saturday, but again fell short in a 3-0 loss to the host Marion Giants at Ballard Field.

“The girls have nothing to be disappointed with,” said JCHS coach Sue Rager, whose team still awaits its first sectional crown. “They played really well tonight. They went to the ball. We did everything we could. The better team won tonight.

“Given another night maybe we would’ve capitalized on those opportunities when we had the ball. But as far as I’m concerned these girls did everything they could do and they did it right and they did a really awesome job tonight.”

The game was closer than its final score as Marion (11-6-1) didn’t put it out of reach until scoring twice in the final 3:10. The first half was scoreless and 33 minutes of the second half were played with the Giants leading 1-0.

That all-important goal came quickly after the halftime break when Jay County sophomore goalie Abby Loy and Marion freshman Maddie Kuczora each tried to chase down the ball on the right side of the 18-yard box. Neither was able to gain control as the ball escaped and ended up at the feet of Stephanie Schafer, one of five Marion seniors.

Schafer had an open look and gave her Giants the lead they would never relinquish with her goal at the 36:15 mark of the second half.

Marion coach Idowu Ikudabo, whose team turned the game by winning far more loose balls in the second half than the first, said his team just need a little time to adjust to the championship atmosphere.

“We improved on our aggressiveness,” said Ikudabo, who had five freshmen in the starting lineup. “In the first half we were passive, we just lacked a little confidence. They had never been in a situation like this.”

Jay County had several chances to even the score, but shots by Saffron Redwine at the 35-minute mark and Abby Schmiesing at the 30-minute mark both went wide right.

Sara Garringer managed to get behind the defense with just over 22 minutes to play, but she lost control of the ball which allowed goalie Bre-Anne Laypoole to cover it before any shot attempt.

Redwine had another chance from the left side with 19:45 to go, but her shot went off Laypoole’s hands and wide right. Laypoole then saved a shot by Dana Horn off the ensuing Patriot corner kick.

Horn made one more charge with 7:03 to go, but the shot went wide left.

Rachel Ruley then put the game out of reach with a goal up-and-over Loy’s head on a direct kick with 3:10 remaining, and Maria Friday hooked one in for good measure with 1:18 left.

“The opportunities were there, we just couldn’t get it in there,” said Rager, whose team finished with its sixth straight season of .500 or better at 8-6-2. “We did everything we could and it just didn’t happen for us tonight. That’s the way it is.”

Marion became the fifth different team to deny the Patriots sectional glory joining Bellmont, 6-1 in 2003 and 3-0 in 2002; Franklin County, 6-0 in 2001; Huntington North, 2-1 in 2000; and New Haven, 3-1 in 1999. It was the second straight title for the Giants, who also knocked Jay County out 2-1 in the first-round of last season’s tournament.

“I’m really happy for the girls. I have a pretty young team ... so this is very good,” Ikudabo said. “(The Patriots) are very, very good technically. I was a little bit scared coming into this game.”

Jay County had its share of shots, but few on target, as Marion finished with a 9-4 shots on goal advantage. Sara Garringer had two shots on goal for the Patriots, and Redwine and Cassandra Huelskamp each had one. Six of the Giants’ shots came in the second half.[[In-content Ad]]