Junior Samantha Erbach added: "To move up a division and be at this point, it's crazy with the teams we play. We've beat them all. This year, we are consistent every single game. Everyone is playing for each other, and we come out and work as hard as we can."
Waynesville (22-0) threatened early and often deep in Marietta territory, which garnered a heavily tilted shot-on-goal advantage compared to Marietta, which was making its first-ever state Final Four appearance.
After several near misses, Waynesville's Jillian Layne delivered the icebreaker at the 11-minute mark of the first half when she squared up a centered pass from Erbach and snuck a shot past the outstretched hands of diving Marietta goalie Leigha Lauer.
“Yeah, it was a matter of time and we were just trying to overcomplicate things a little bit. We had some really nice combinations that led to some really nice shots," Bricker said. "We just settled down and simplified some things and played to feed a little more. It definitely worked in our favor late in the first half and early in the second.”
Erbach, named the No. 6 high school girls soccer player in Ohio in a preseason statewide poll, would help the Spartans play add-on just over 10 minutes later when she reeled in a long pass from Caroline Stupp, won her 1-on-1 matchup and delivered a top-shelf strike to make it 2-0. Erbach, who later had a goal negated from an offsides penalty, has now scored in nine consecutive contests. The junior, who is already in the Ohio High School Athletic Association's record books for single-season goals, has scored 27 goals in 16 career tournament games.
Fellow junior forward Brooke Woody capped the night's scoring by tapping in a corner kick with 14:11 left in regulation to make it 5-0. Woody is fifth in the SWBL in goals with 14 on the year, including three in the last three games.
Defensively, Waynesville goalie Gracyn Armstrong was a spectator for most of the night as the Spartans' offensive attack overwhelmed Marietta and any offensive opportunities were quickly thwarted by Waynesville's midfield and backline. Marietta's first goal kick came with 4:58 left in the first half and Armstrong's first save came with 31:11 left in regulation.
Marietta (15-5-2) came into the night having scored 26 goals in five playoff games and had been shut out just four times all year.
“We just tried to step up our communication so we knew when players were closing in and we can keep the ball moving. The faster we keep the ball moving, the harder it is to take it away," Bricker said of her squad's defensive mindset.
Waynesville kept the pedal down in the second half, putting the Tigers away with more pressure until Stupp, a midfielder who notched her 12th assist of the season in the first half, scored twice over a five-minute period to give the Spartans a 4-0 lead. Stupp, who had three goals during the regular season, has found the net in three of the last four playoff contests.
"I don't score all the time, so whenever I do, it's great," Stupp said. "It's so relieving. I'm not necessarily thinking about my own emotions, but the team and I just love when everyone comes together at the end to celebrate. It's such a great feeling."
Waynesville, once a school with limited team success at the state level, is now one victory away from entering rarefied air with back-to-back state championships. The Spartans advance to play either Bay Village Bay or Copley in the Division II state championship game Friday night at Lower.com Field in Columbus.
“A lot of them are thinking back to last year and what they remember. It is kind of hard to go in there and not be starstruck at the lights and the size and how beautiful that field is," Bricker said about returning to Lower.com Field. "The idea is once we go out there and step across that line, it’s the exact same thing. It's our same team, it’s our same goal and we control what we want to do and we make sure to take care of that.”
