FINDLAY — If the word domination can be used as an understatement, Perrysburg’s girls soccer team certainly found a way to undermine it Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets had no problem winning their third consecutive Division I district championship as they were a 7-0 winner over Ashland (9-7-2) in Graham Memorial Stadium.
“It feels great. The kids really did a good job,” said Perrysburg co-head coach Margaret Bernard. “We had great play across the board from all the players on our roster.”
Perrysburg, which improved to 19-0, will play familiar Northern Lakes League foe Anthony Wayne in the regional semifinal this week at Bowling Green State University’s Cochrane Stadium. The specific date and time are to be decided later due to bad weather which is forecast for this week, according to Findlay district tournament director Jon Ammons.
Last season, Perrysburg was a 1-0 loser to Northview in the regional semifinal.
“We mean business,” said Yellow Jackets co-head coach Jorge Diaz. “We came here and said we’ve got to go out there and be efficient.
“At the beginning of the game we had a couple of opportunities that we could have put on goal that we didn’t,” he added. “Then we kind of settled down and let it go.”
Perrysburg, the No. 1-ranked team in the state, recorded its goals from a variety of players.
Maddy Williams led the charge with two goals and two assists, while Courtney Clody, Beth Glowacki, Allex Brown, Josie Fowler, and Lucy Walton all also added goals for the Yellow Jackets.
“Our offense is very powerful. We did a good thing today,” said Diaz.
Perrysburg got off to a quick start when Clody capitalized on a touch pass in front of the goal from Williams, giving the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead just 3:59 into the game.
The Yellow Jackets took a remarkable 25 shots in the first half, with 15 being on goal. Other than Clody’s opening goal, Perrysburg struggled to finish in the net until the final 7:23 of the opening half.
In that span, the Yellow Jackets scored four times, building a 5-0 halftime lead, all but ending any hope for Ashland as Perrysburg had allowed just five goals all season coming into the game.
“It’s really awesome,” said Williams. “This year, we’re just such a tight-knit team, and we had to come in here knowing that this was going to be the hardest game we played all year.
“We were focused the whole bus ride here, the whole warm-up, and that really helped play.”
Perrysburg held an unfathomable 43-4 shot advantage over the Arrows, a credit to the Yellow Jackets defense, according to goalkeeper Chloe Buehler.
“They did awesome,” Buehler, who made three saves, said of the defense. “They passed awesome and switched the field really well. It makes my job even easier.”
And now that Perrysburg has another district crown under its belt, the team is ready to advance even further.
“We want to make new memories on that field and make it to regional finals,” Buehler said.