Patriots won in semifinal

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Patriots earned a spot in the sectional championship game.

The Jay County High School girls soccer team beat Bellmont 2-1 on Oct. 12, 2000, in the sectional semifinal at Wayne to advance to the sectional championship again.

The Patriots had lost in the sectional final in 1999 by a 3-1 score to host New Haven.

JCHS struck first in the semifinal when Dawn Ogden chipped the ball toward Bellmont’s goalkeeper. She was slow to react, and Abby Arnold rushed down the middle and slipped the ball into the net just 1:10 into the game.

“Abby got the momentum started with her early goal and the team kept that momentum for another 79 minutes,” said Jay County coach Sue Rager, whose team improved to 11-5 with the victory.

About 10 minutes later, that momentum came through with what turned out to be the deciding goal. A corner kick for the Patriots went into a crowd of players about 15 yards out from the goal. When it pupped out of the crowd, Kristen Hess spun and sent a low show into the left side of the net.

That was all the scoring Jay County would need, as Bellmont’s only goal of the game Goalie Liz Burke saved the other seven Bellmont shots on goal as the Patriots set up a rematch with Huntington North, the team it lost to 1-0 in the Olympic Athletic Conference championship game earlier in the season.

“I’m thrilled with the win,” said Rager. “The girls came in here to win and they did.”

Jay County went on to lose to Huntington North in the sectional championship game.