Rams finish dream season with state title

COLUMBUS — Paige Eldridge may have been nervous, but teammate and All-American Taylor Huff had no doubt Madison’s senior goalkeeper would save the day.

Eldridge’s deflection of a penalty kick by Granville’s Ella Rogers in the 60th minute preserved a precarious one-goal lead and the Rams held on for a 2-1 win over the Blue Aces in the Division II state championship match Friday afternoon at MAPFRE Stadium.

The state title was the first for Madison and the second in Richland County history. The Rams join the Mansfield Christian boys, who hoisted the gold trophy in 2014.

Madison’s only other team state title came in 1997, when the volleyball team captured the Division I crown.

The Rams (21-0-3) were clinging to the 2-1 lead when Rogers was taken down in the box by Taylor Russell. Rogers tried the lower right corner of the goal, but Eldridge dove to her left and deflected the ball back into play. A second Granville attempt sailed wide of the net as the Rams dodged a bullet.

“I was really nervous when it happened and I just remembered in the regular season (a 2-2 draw at Granville) that they actually got a PK against us and the girl went right,” said Eldridge, who was credited with six saves. “I decided to stick to my gut and go that way. I went to my left when she went right.”

While Eldridge’s nerves were working overtime as the high-scoring Rogers approached the ball, Huff remained composed.

“I told her before they took the shot, ‘I know you’re going to stop this,’ ” Huff said. “She stops every single one of my PKs in practice and I get so mad.

“She absolutely is incredible.”

Eldridge was just warming up. She made another spectacular save of a Rogers free kick from just outside of the box with less than six minutes left in regulation. Rogers’ shot to the upper right corner was on frame, but Eldridge made a punch save before crashing into the side netting. She made another save on a tricky bending shot by Granville’s Maddie Shoaps in the final minute.

“Every time the ball was on our half, I was nervous,” Eldridge admitted. “But my defense would clear it and I felt good.”

Granville (19-1-2) outshot Madison 9-1 in the second half and 13-4 for the match, but the Rams made the most of their limited opportunities. Freshman Nevaeh Lewis scored both Madison goals, the first coming in the third minute after a wild sequence.

Trinity Tucker triggered it with a corner kick that was initially touched by Natalee Back and eventually settled at Huff’s feet. Huff sent the ball back out to Tucker, who lofted it back into the box toward Ashleigh Bechtel. The senior’s bicycle kick found the foot of Kari Eckenwiler, who took a touch to control it before delivering a perfect pass to Lewis.

“I screamed for Kari to pass me the ball because I was wide open,” said Lewis who scored her 18th and 19th goals of the season. “I just had to find a corner and place it in the back of the net.

“I was really, really, really nervous at first but as soon as I got my first goal I’m always motivated to get another.”

That opportunity came with 26:44 remaining in the second half. Huff was taken down from behind by Rogers near midfield. Huff, who scored a remarkable goal from 45 yards away on a free kick against Rocky River earlier in the week in the state semifinals, drove a long, twisting shot toward Granville keeper Julia Tolloty. The ball slipped through her grasp and Lewis was again at the right place at the right time.

“Time after time Nevaeh has stepped up. This game was so big for her and she played amazing,” Huff said. “I’m so happy for her.”

Granville attacked relentlessly for the final 10 minutes, but Eldridge and the defensive trio of seniors Tucker, Taylor Russell and Phyllis Stanfield kept the Blue Aces at bay.

“Our defense, we played lights out,” Russell said. “We have great chemistry and we know how to play with each other and how to hold each other accountable.

“We have not gotten scored on that much this year and we take a lot of pride in that.”

Madison sealed it when Eckenwiler cleared the ball out of bounds with less than 10 seconds remaining. Granville never got the ball back in play before time ran out.

The Madison bench erupted in a frenzy.

“It still hasn’t hit me that we actually won,” Madison coach Zac Huff said. “The game was just, I don’t even know, so much fun.

“This group of seniors, throughout their four years of high school they only lost six games. It’s pretty incredible, the story they wrote.”