By Cort Reynolds

COLUMBUS – The Ada High School boys soccer team scored late to tie county rival Kenton 1-1 in the “309 Cup” game played at lower.com field, the home of the Columbus Crew Major League Soccer club on Sunday evening, September 21.

The Bulldogs pressed hard in the final minutes and rallied to salvage a draw, then had a chance to win it in the waning moments.

Ada ran its record to 6-3-2 after the hard-fought draw. Kenton is now 7-1-3 with the tie.

“What a great game,” said Ada second-year head coach Aaron Acheson. “It was a competitive, high-energy match.

“We finished the match strong, showing resilience and grit after conceding the first goal,” he continued. “The last 15 minutes were filled with better coordinated play, and we nearly found a winner in the closing moments of the game.”

Ada junior scoring ace Andrew Allen got a very early shot off that went just right of the goal.

Bulldog keeper Jacob Rush made a good save moments later. Kenton mustered a few crosses and a 25-yard shot that Rush corralled.

Wildcat scoring leader Josh Rich put a shot off the crossbar which earned Kenton a corner kick. The defense held and the play resulted in a goal kick for Ada.

The Bulldogs then created a good scoring chance, but Will Mosler’s 12-yard shot from straight on sailed over the net.

Both teams substituted liberally with 10 minutes left in the half to get all the players a chance to play on a professional field in the rare opportunity.

Bulldog reserve Carter Dunlap got off a 35-yard shot that was one of the best shots of the half. 

The Bulldog backup keeper then made a nice save.

Another shot by Dunlap went just high over the net and the arm of Wildcat keeper Hayden Holland.

The game eventually went to halftime scoreless.

With 30 minutes left, Wildcat Micah Bowman took a corner kick from Rich and got off a good shot that Rush made a fine save on.

Two minutes later, Allen split the Kenton defense and almost had a good scoring chance before being bottled up. 

Hustling Bulldog Wyatt Fisher played strong defense to thwart several Wildcat scoring chances.

Kenton then earned a key corner kick with 18:30 left. Josh Rich played a good cross in front, and Bowman knocked the ball in off the far left post with 18:19 remaining for a 1-0 lead.

“Kenton got on the board first, but we responded quickly,” said Acheson.

Bulldog Chase Jarrett had a chance to score off a good cross. However, Holland made a nice save of his shot.

A handball call gave Ada a free kick, yet they weren’t able to capitalize. 

An Allen crossing pass led to a shot, but the Kenton defense smothered it.

With under seven minutes left, Allen stole a mishandled ball and got behind the Wildcat defense. With an assist from Lucas Henson, he then beat Holland one v. one to net the equalizing goal with just 6:41 remaining.

“Andrew finished a great set-up from Lucas Henson,” said Acheson. 

Ada kept the pressure up. They stole the ball and Carson Conley fired a 20-yard shot that went off the keeper’s hands out of bounds with 1:55 left. 

A good Ada corner kick resulted in a deflected shot and a nice save by Holland.

The Bulldogs kept attacking in the closing minutes but weren’t quite able to score again. Kenton tried to get a corner kick off in the waning seconds, but time ran out.

“We definitely had the momentum at the end of the game,” the energetic Bulldog coach recalled. “We controlled possession in the final five minutes and kept pressing until the final whistle.”

Ada fired 16 shots on goal compared to 11 by Kenton. Rush made eight saves, and Holland stopped 14.

“Jacob came up with eight crucial saves to keep us in the game,” said Acheson.

“A huge shout out to every player in our program – all 27 saw at least 10 minutes of action at lower.com field,” he noted. “It was a lot of fun for both schools and their communities.

“The effort and energy from top to bottom were outstanding,” he continued. “I am proud of the team’s composure, teamwork and fight.”

The Crew’s home field is much wider than the pitch at War Memorial Stadium, and took some rain earlier in the day. The previous game pitting Upper Arlington vs. Canfield was cancelled due to hard rain.

“It was a wider field,” said Acheson. “The ball played fast on that pitch. Short grass, and the ball had a lot of pace on it. Thankfully, the rain did not delay our game.”

The Bulldogs are right back in action at home on Monday night, Sept. 22 vs. Western Ohio Soccer League foe Lima Temple Christian (4-5-2).

“We are developing more depth and we will need help from everyone,” said Acheson of the quick turnaround 7 p.m. Monday game.