BRUNSWICK — For the first three matches of Clear Fork’s tournament run, senior goal keeper Morgan Bailey has been the loneliest player on the pitch. That all changed during Tuesday’s Division II regional semifinals in girls soccer against Parma Heights Holy Name at Brunswick High School.
Bailey had plenty of company around her net as the Green Wave came after her in waves during the second half of the Colts’ thrilling 2-1 win.
Clear Fork (16-2-2), ranked fifth in Division II in the final Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches state poll, will play eight-ranked Lima Bath (19-1) for a regional championship and a berth in the Final Four at 3 p.m. Saturday at a site to be determined. Bath beat Millbury Lake 3-0 in Findlay on Tuesday.
Largely relegated to spectator as Clear Fork won its first three tournament games by a combined score of 23-1, Bailey came under fire as Holy Name (9-6-4) tried to erase a 2-0 halftime deficit.
“We like it when she’s lonely,” a relieved Clear Fork coach Brittany Bechtel said. “There’s nothing like having ‘Mo’ back there. She saved us several times back there.”
Bailey made seven second-half saves (nine for the game) as Holy Name attempted nine of its 12 shots in the final 40 minutes.
“It was nerve-racking,” Bailey said. “We knew this was going to be one of our tougher games.”
Quick Start: As has been the case throughout the tournament, the Colts didn’t waste any time on an unseasonably warm — albeit blustery — Tuesday night. Junior dynamo Jordyne Helinski broke the ice with 32:05 remaining in the first half when she gained control of a long pass just outside the 18 yard box, turned and roped a laser shot over Holy Name keeper Paige Reiss.
“I knew the goalie was short and I knew that I would be able to crank it over her,” Helinski said. “I’m better at hitting more toward the cross bar and that’s what I wanted to capitalize on. That’s what my first thought was, I wanted to get it over her head.”
Helinski struck again minutes later off a set piece on a Meshia Curry free kick. Helinski gathered in the ball and headed it past Reiss for a 2-0 lead with 21:24 remaining in the first half.
The goal, Helinski’s 45th of the season, was identical to one she and Curry teamed up on in Clear Fork’s 5-1 win over Ontario in the district championship game.
“We capitalized on that our last game. We’ve been practicing those a lot,” Helinski said. “It was the same exact thing from the same spot.”
Like Clockwork: Clear Fork fans don’t need to see the game clock to know how far along the match is. They only need to see where All-Ohioan Deijah Swihart is deployed on the field. The senior starts up top, then gradually moved back to help out in the midfield. By the time the second half rolls around, she has moved to the back of the defense.
“I’ve done that pretty much the last couple games,” Bechtel said. “We start games with Deijah up top, then we feed her back through our field as we went on.”
Holy Name drew within 2-1 with 25:47 remaining in the second half when Peyton Davis finally snuck a shot past Bailey. After that, Swihart was assigned to shadow ultra-talented Holy Name forward Caroline Dreher, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the Green Wave’s 3-2 victory over Bay in the district championship game.
“I wasn’t sure if we had an answer for her,” Bechtel said. “I had a freshman on her today. Macy Wade played on her through the whole first half and the beginning of the second half and finally I just begged Deijah. I said, ‘You’ve got to get on (Dreher).’ It was key to get Deijah back there.”
Knocking on the door: The Colts have been to the regional tournament eight times since 2000 and will play in their third regional championship game in four years Saturday. Clear Fork is still searching for its first regional title. The Colts lost to Toledo St. Ursula in the regional title game in 2011 and 2012.
“My freshman year I really didn’t know what it meant,” said Helinski, who started in the 1-0 loss to St. Ursula in 2012. “This year I know what it actually means to the team and the coach and how much it takes to get there. Now I get it.”
