FINDLAY – Senior Josh Cochran spoke quickly to his little brother, David, as the sophomore prepared to take an indirect kick for Mansfield Christian on Saturday.
“They are not marking me that close. Find me over the wall,” he said, hoping to break a scoreless tie against the Kalida Wildcats with just 10 minutes left in the game.
Re-enacting a moment the brothers have staged many times in the backyard over the years, David lofted a short kick from about 10 yards outside the box that did indeed clear the hastily erected Kalida wall. Josh received it, settled it and slammed it into the net.
The goal, coming with 10:21 left in a game played during a cold rain, was the only one scored at Findlay High School as No. 2-ranked Mansfield Christian (20-1) won a boys’ soccer Division III regional title, topping Kalida, 1-0.
After the game, the happy brothers celebrated with their teammates, enjoying the win that comes one season after losing in the regional finals to Ottawa Hills.
Josh Cochran, a first-team all-district performer this season, laughed when asked if the point-blank shot was an easy one to score. “Those are the ones that give you nightmares if you don’t score,” he said.
David Cochran, a second-team all-district pick, said Josh would have taking the kick if it had been direct, instead of indirect. “The referee called a dangerous play on Kalida (15-3-3), so it was an indirect kick, (meaning it could not go directly into the goal),” David said.
“He told me they were not marking him that well and to just chip it up to him,” the younger brother said. “We have played soccer together my whole life. We have played out a lot of different scenarios in the backyard.”
It was the second straight game David Cochran assisted on the game winner. In a 2-1 regional semifinal win over Elyria Catholic on Wednesday, Cochran passed the ball to fellow sophomore Sammy Paul, who drilled the winner from long range.
Josh Cochran said, “We will get 10 soccer balls out in the backyard, set up the cones and practice all kinds of things. One of the things I love about high school soccer is you get to play with people of all ages. Last year, we had my older brother, Will, on the team and he is off playing college soccer now.”
Mansfield Christian coach Jesse Rider, selected the district coach of the year, said he and his coaches saw the scoring play coming. “We saw Josh say something to David before the play,” Rider said. “It was a quick conversation. We give those two a lot of freedom. They are both smart soccer players.”
The Cochran brothers and their teammates were pushed to the brink by the Wildcats, who brought a physical style of play from Putnam County. Neither team had a lot of scoring chances.
“We knew Kalida would play a hard-nosed, tough and physical game,” Rider said. “They did a great job of eliminating our shots from the front of the goal so we had to look for other opportunities. They did a good job of denying us.
“We didn’t play all that well,” Rider said. “We had a lot of turnovers and made a lot of mistakes. We are fortunate to leave here with a win today.”
Despite not scoring for the first 70 minutes, the Flames controlled the pitch for most of the game. That control, plus a great performance by senior goalkeeper Caleb Young, had fans for both teams on edge throughout.
One of Mansfield Christian’s best scoring chances came with 29:40 left in the second half. David Cochran had back-to-back corner kicks, the second of which was cleared to MCS sophomore Stevie Brown, whose blazing shot just cleared the crossbar.
Kalida’s best chance came with 13:09 left in the game when junior Ryan Siefker came clean on the left side and had only Young to beat. Siefker nailed a shot that sailed just wide right of the goal.
It will be the second Final Four appearance for Mansfield Christian in the last three years. The Flames, who competed in the regional tournament for the fourth straight year, will meet Gates Mills Hawken (13-7-1) in the state semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined. Hawken defeated Mansfield Christian 2-1 in the state semifinals in double overtime in 2011.
Hawken defeated Doylestown Chippewa, 4-0, in its regional title game Saturday. The state title match will be next Saturday at noon at Columbus Crew Stadium.
