Bulldogs seeded 5th in draw

By Cort Reynolds

WITH SENIOR NAMES CORRECTED __The Ada High School boys soccer team shut out visiting Lima Central Catholic 4-0 in a non-league match to celebrate Senior Night Monday, Oct. 12 at War Memorial Stadium.

Four of the eight Bulldog seniors scored one goal apiece to punctuate the victory.

The Bulldogs improved to 8-7-1 with the home clean sheet triumph. LCC fell to 3-11-1 after the road defeat.

“We earned a great team win tonight against an LCC team that had won three of its last four games and came ready to play,” said Ada head coach Aaron Acheson.

“A great team win and a great way to honor our eight seniors,” he continued. “I am proud of how the boys responded to the challenges throughout the match, and how they continue to grow together as a team.

“It was great to see four of our seniors find the back of the net on Senior Night,” the coach remarked. “One of our eight seniors we honored, Wyatt Fisher, got us started with a great individual effort.”

Bulldog Wyatt Fisher scored the first goal with 5:41 to play in the first half.

“Rhett Ulrey played a ball into space for Wyatt, and although LCC initially intercepted the pass, Wyatt immediately attacked the defender, won the ball back, and fired a hard shot across the goal into the far post for our first goal,” Acheson recounted. “That was a huge goal for us and took some momentum away from LCC.”

Senior Tim Chrissobolis netted the second goal in the final minute of the half on a header off a corner kick assist from senior Andrew Allen.

The ball was played in and headed by Allen to Chrissobolis, who headed it into the netting with 52 seconds left to play in the half.

“Just before halftime, we executed a nice set-piece play off a corner kick,” explained the coach. “The ball found Andrew Allen in front of the goal, and he headed it up to Tim Chrissobolis, who got his head on the ball and put it in for our second goal. 

“Scoring right before halftime was huge for us,” he added. Ada led 2-0 at the intermission break.

The second half was scoreless for the first 22 minutes. Allen then tallied to extend the lead to 3-0 on an assist by Camden McKean with 17:41 left to play in the game.

“In the second half, we did a much better job of possessing the ball and being patient in our build-up,” Acheson observed. “Camden McKean played a great cross from the right side all the way across the field to Andrew Allen on the left. Andrew did a great job settling the ball, taking a few touches, and finishing for our third goal.”

Senior Chase Jarrett extended the lead to 4-0 off an assist by Allen with 12:46 remaining.

“Andrew played a nice ball out wide to Chase Jarrett, who was making a great run,” Acheson noted. “Chase received the pass and finished the play to score our fourth and final goal of the match.”

Ada senior keeper Jacob Rush made four saves in goal.

“At halftime, we challenged the boys to not allow a shot in the second half, and they responded,” the coach summed up. “Our defense did not allow a single shot after the break.

“I am really happy with how our defensive unit is coming together late in the season,” he noted. “The communication, organization, and commitment to defending as a team continue to improve.”

[CORRECTED] The eight Ada seniors are Andrew Allen, Bradyn Bowen, Tim Chrissobolis, Carson Conley, Wyatt Fisher, Chase Jarrett, Connor McKean and Jacob Rush.

The Bulldogs host former NWC foe Lincolnview (2-10-1) Thursday at 7 p.m. in the regular season finale.

Bulldogs 5th in draw

Ada was seeded fifth in the Div. V district drawing held Sunday. They play at fourth-seed Ashland Crestview (10-5) on Thursday, Oct. 22, in a sectional final.

The winner will likely face top seed Mansfield Christian (7-6-2) in the district semifinals at Tiffin Columbian High School on Oct. 27. The MC Flames play a tough schedule and beat Ashland Crestview 5-3 on the road Sept. 15.

Kalida (11-2-2) is the second seed.

The district final is slated for Saturday, Oct. 31 at Tiffin’s Frost-Kalnow Stadium at 6 p.m.