BOWLING GREEN — It wasn’t the ending Clear Fork coach Brittany Bechtel hoped for, but it could be the start of something special.
Ottawa-Glandorf scored in the fourth minute and the fourth-ranked Titans made it stand up in a 1-0 win over No. 15 Clear Fork in a Division IV regional semifinal girls soccer game at Bowling Green High School’s Bobcat Stadium.
The Colts (13-5-2) were making their first appearance in the Sweet 16 in a decade. Clear Fork reached the regional tournament in 2011, 2012 and 2014, but was unable to navigate a rugged district tournament that included Richland County heavyweights Madison, Lexington and Ontario since then.
“We haven’t been here in a long time,” Bechtel said. “We’re not in the gauntlet of our area. It’s a breath of fresh air to find our way back here.”
The Titans (18-2-0) scored the match’s only goal off a set piece. Delaney Duling sent a corner kick into the box, where Western Buckeye League Player of the Year Makenna Siefker headed it past Clear Fork keeper Faith Smith.
“Set pieces win tournament games,” O-G coach Michalle Maag said. “It was our first corner of the game and we only had two if I’m remembering correctly.
“We talk about being the hunter when that ball is in the air, especially on corners. We want to be the first ones to it every single time.”
Playing with the wind at their backs in the second half, the Colts turned up the heat on O-G keeper Libbie Niese. The sophomore, who was filling in for injured starter Karsyn Erford, was up to the task all evening.
“I know that’s not they’re starting keeper so we wanted to put a lot of shots on net,” Bechtel said.
Maag was impressed with Niese’s performance in net.
“She had a fantastic game,” Maag said. “She’s practiced really well all season and I think that translates to the field.
“One of the most special things about our team is we’ve got this goalkeeper union. We’ve always needed two keepers and we’ve always had to call on the back-up for important games and it’s no difference this year.”
The Colts continued to attack as the final seconds ticked off the clock, but couldn’t get anything past NIese.
“My girls played hard and they battled to the end. That was the big thing,” Bechtel said. “I just hope they all walk away feeling like they gave it 100 percent because I believe they did.”