The Olentangy Berlin girls soccer team dominated Olentangy 2-1 on senior night this past Tuesday, as they won the OCC.
Both teams went into the game looking for the win. The Bears were 11-2-1, which put them fourth in the Ohio Division One soccer and first in the OCC. If they won this game, they would be crowned OCC champions. Olentangy had a 9-2-5 record and was third in the OCC.
“As an underclassman, I watched groups of other seniors walk down the turf and get announced, and it never felt like that was gonna be me, then all of a sudden it’s my turn. Four years went by so quickly, and getting to walk shoulder to shoulder with my family was a surreal experience. Although I’m going to miss soccer, I’m excited to move forward to the next chapter in my life,” Kaleigh Lockard ‘26 said.
The game started with a senior night ceremony for all of the senior bears. This year, our seniors were Kate Rizzo, Josie Baker, Kaleigh Lockard, Avery Waters, Sarah Kroskie, Gracie Dusenberry, Gianna Filia, and Piper Davy.
In the first half, there were tons of back and forth between the two teams. The ball never stayed on one side for more than a minute. But this all changed when Zoe Barnett ‘29 scored a goal, assisted by Davy, with 19:27 left in the first half. The crowd roared as the players on the field celebrated the goal.
For the rest of the half, the ball continued to move back and forth between the teams. Neither team seemed to dominate the match if you weren’t watching the score.
At halftime, the seniors, using the money the team had fundraised, presented TOPSoccer with $3,000. The TOPSoccer outreach program is a community-based team placement and training for young athletes, four to nineteen, with special needs.
For the first 7 minutes of the second half, the Bears held control of the ball. This is proven to be true when a pass from Maya Alonso ‘28 leads to a shot from Emerson Rehklau ‘28, which was hit off one of Olentangy’s players and soared into the goal. The remainder of the game was again back-and-forth action.
The Bears hold the lead while the Braves push to catch back up. Olentangy scores a goal with 3 minutes left in the game. This led to a nail-biting end.
The Braves were in control of the ball for the remainder of the game; they constantly looked for a way to score a goal. But the bears held strong for their senior night. The final buzzing rang, and the team ran to the field.
Berlin clenched a 2-1 win. This led the team to become OCC champions and brought their record to 12-2-1. The Lady Bears are looking to go far in tournament play.
“Senior night this year was so memorable. During the walk it was supposed to be pouring down rain, but it stopped just in time for us to walk. I am never going to forget that moment when I walked down the field with my family and all of my friends were cheering me on,” Josie Baker ‘26 said.
