WOOSTER − Up 1-0 at halftime of their Division V regional semifinal match against Columbia, based off their first half play, one could easily feel that Chippewa deserved more than one goal.
Chippewa had 19 shots in the first period to Columbia’s three, including three corner kicks to the Raiders zero. But based off how the match was going, it was only a matter of time before the Chipps struck and they did, really quick.
“We weren’t satisfied because we could have finished those. We knew because of that first half offensively we just had to finish in the second half,” said Chippewa midfielder Cally West.
The Chipps (20-1) finished better alright in the second half, that turned into last year’s Division V state finalist scoring five goals in a 10-minute period (from the 37-28-minute mark) in Chippewa’s 8-0 win.
A deep free kick by center back Myra Lewis started it off. Then just two minutes later, forward Emme Donnelly received the ball in the middle of the park and sent a through ball to forward Delaney Marshall who made an inside run, as she put it away past the goalkeeper. It was the first of what would be a hat trick for Marshall. They would knock in three more goals (West, Marshall and Lilly Davis each scored) in that 10-minute stretch.
“We were very motivated. Our offense has scored 138 goals and our defense has allowed only four goals this season,” said Chippewa head coach Ruth Coney. “The defense is playing so strong. We wanted to move on and play in the regional final.”
“I think once we got our second and third goal of the game, we kind of grabbed the momentum there,” West said. “Our forwards started connecting. Defensively, we were getting the ball up really fast and started playing as a team.”
Even before Chippewa scored seven goals in the second half, it was their defensive work high up the pitch and intensity to win almost every ball that they sustained as a group from the start and gave Columbia (15-5-1) fits.
“We knew they had some strong offensive players, so we talked about double-teaming a lot at practice and halftime,” said West. “We knew if we could shut them down, it would give us more opportunities. We just had to give a lot of intensity and effort.”
“They are a strong team, so we knew we had to win those balls,” Coney explained. “Our defense can be our best offense. We want to make sure that the ball stays on the other team’s half of the field. The key was our intensity from the start of the game to the end.”
One more match win would put Chippewa back in another state semifinal, which they will play on Saturday versus Kirtland.
“We are excited to move on and have a chance to get back to state,” said Coney. “But first we have to win our regional final.”
jamessimpson@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Chippewa’s five goals in 10 minutes stretch puts Columbia away in Division V regional semifinal
Reporting by James Simpson II, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
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