MACEDONIA — Hugs had been exchanged and photographs snapped when Mansfield Christian coach Jesse Rider finally had the opportunity to address his team on a rainy yet unseasonably warm November night at Nordonia High School.
“You have a game Saturday at Crew Stadium,” the 2002 MCS graduate and first-year coach said emphatically.
The comment was met by a roar of approval from the 22 smiling faces surrounding him. The Flames then raced off to continue the celebration with a large contingent of fans who braved the elements Wednesday night to witness Mansfield Christian’s overwhelming 3-0 victory over longtime tournament nemesis and defending state runner-up Gates Mills Hawken in a Division III state semifinal match.
The Flames (21-1-1), ranked second in the final Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll, will play defending state champ and OSSCA poll champ Summit Country Day at 7 p.m. Saturday at Crew Stadium for the championship. Country Day blanked Worthington Christian 2-0 in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal.
The game was originally scheduled for noon Saturday but had to be moved because of a conflict.
MCS will make its first ever appearance in the state title game after falling to Hawken in the semifinals in 2000 and 2011 — not bad for a rookie head coach and a team that lost 13 players to graduation.
“All year long these guys have been tremendous,” Rider said. “Everything we’ve asked them to do they did better than we could have ever drawn up. That first half was one of our best first halves all year long.”
The Flames dominated the opening 40 minutes of play, racing out to a 2-0 lead. Mansfield Christian spent much of the first half unloading on Hawken keeper Grant Gilchrist, outshooting the Hawks (13-8-1) 7-1.
Mansfield Christian broke the ice in the 15th minute when sophomore midfielder Samuel Paul lofted a pass into the box from the right wing. Sophomore forward David Cochran times his leap perfectly and headed the ball past Gilchrist for a 1-0 advantage.
“That was all Sam,” Cochran said. “Sam made a great run down the line. The keeper was kind of coming out at an angle so I figured if I put it at the back near post I’d have a better chance than at the far post.”
“I put it in and I don’t remember much after that.”
Cochran’s older brother Josh, a senior midfielder who played on the 2011 Final Four team, gave the Flames a 2-0 lead with 12:52 remaining in the first half on a direct kick after David Cochran was taken down just outside the box. The older Cochran’s shot wrapped around the Hawken wall and eluded Gilchrist.
“David played like an animal today,” Josh Cochran said. “Like he did numerous times, he got the ball on his feet and they took him down and he got the foul just outside the box.
“The wall got set up and, with the rain, the turf is really slick. I thought maybe I could put it back post and the keeper wouldn’t be ready and it worked out.”
Even with a 2-0 lead, the Flames continued to attack in the second half. Sophomore midfielder Brandon Mount scored Mansfield Christian’s final goal with 31:29 remaining in the second half when he took a centering pass from junior forward Brendan Ernsberger and easily beat Gilchrist.
“I played it out wide to Brendan to the left side and he took on a defender and crossed it in,” Mount said. “I was open on the back side. It was a good cross and I was able to finish it.”
The rest was up to MCS goal keeper Caleb Young and the defense. A senior, Young recorded his fifth postseason shutout in six games.
“It feels pretty good,” Young said. “This is my first year playing goalie and we’re headed to (the state title game).
“I never imagined playing for a state championship.”
When the teams met two years ago, Hawken was the more offensive minded side. The roles were reversed Wednesday as MCS had 11 shots on goal to Hawken’s three.
“They were finding better passes and were able to create more chances,” Hawken coach Dani Giulvezan said. “They had better momentum and they had more venom going forward.”
Josh Cochran agreed.
“We definitely came out and played the way we wanted to the whole time,” he said. “This was probably the best game we executed in the tournament. It was a little better than we expected, but we prepared and it paid off.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
