DAYTON — Cedarville University’s women’s soccer team went 16 straight games this season without giving up more than one goal.
That streak ended at the most inopportune time for the Yellow Jackets.
Walsh’s Brianna Sanborn headed in a corner kick from Olivia Peters with 6:36 left in the first overtime to give the Cavs a 2-1 win over Cedarville in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference semifinals at Chaminade-Julienne’s Roger Glass Stadium Thursday. The second-seeded Cavs will face No. 4 Ohio Dominican — which upset No. 1 Findlay, 1-0, Thursday — in the championship game at 12 p.m. Saturday.
Since giving up four goals in a loss to Rollins in the second game of the season Sept. 7, the third-seeded Yellow Jackets (12-6-1) surrendered just seven goals in total prior to Thursday’s match.
“Allison (Garlock) has had a great season in the goal,” Coach Jonathan Meade said. “When you keep a clean sheet obviously the odds are in your favor.”
Despite the lower seed, the odds seemed to be in Cedarville’s favor as it entered the semis without a loss in its last nine games, which included a 1-0 win over Walsh Oct. 26.
That held true for almost all of the first half as the Yellow Jackets stingy defense limited Walsh (15-4) chances. However with 25 seconds left, Peters took a long through ball in the box from Alisha Himes and one-timed it to the far corner for a 1-0 lead.
“They have a really dynamic attack,” Meade said. “There’s a reason why they’ve won so many games.”
Cedarville tied it with 25:42 left in the match as Emma Conway sent a pass from 35 yards out into the box where Olivia Hoffman — who came in off the bench two minutes earlier — played it off the second hop and knocked it in from about eight yards out.
The Yellow Jackets had a great chance to take the lead 10 minutes later on a free kick but it was inches too high and hit the football crossbar.
Both teams had some decent opportunities early in overtime before Sanborn’s header.
“We gave them everything they could handle,” Meade said. “We had our chances. I can’t say enough about our team.
Meade credited Garlock and fellow seniors Conway, Bex Vellony, and Hannah Atkinson, for being the “backbone” of the team.
“We can’t thank them enough for leading us so well,” Meade said. “Just really proud of them. It was a step further than what we’ve done in the recent history. We’re proud to be in the company of three other great teams. We have nothing to hang our head over.”
