BEAVERCREEK, Ohio - The Wyoming Cowboys got bucked off their broncos right away in their first shot at history two years ago.
The boys got back on the horse and learned from their mistakes as they arrived at Beavercreek Saturday for another shot at a Division II regional soccer championship.
The ride to a title will keep going now that Wyoming defeated Oakwood 3-1 Saturday. Wyoming (18-2-2) will face Chillicothe Unioto in the state semifinals Wednesday at Teays Valley. Oakwood finished 20-1.
It is the first regional title in team history.
“It feels great,” senior Sebastian Sinigaglia said. “We made history today. Just amazing players, amazing team, We’re doing big things, for sure.”
The Cowboys put pressure on the Lumberjacks early, scoring two goals in the first eight minutes of play. Senior Simon Marques scored his 11th goal of the season and junior Louie Trenkamp his 11th.
That was an exact turnaround of Wyoming’s regional final game in 2019 when the Cowboys trailed 2-0 after five minutes in an eventual defeat.
“Two years ago, in 2019, we came out in the regional final against Tippecanoe. We came out pretty scared and let in two goals in five minutes,” Wyoming head coach Adam Jones said. “The approach this year was to come out on the front foot, learn from our mistakes, be a team that attacks a really good Oakwood team. I’m really happy about that kind of start.”
The mindset after the early lead was to stay aggressive against an Oakwood team that had not been shut out all season, scoring 80 goals on offense, and had allowed only four goals on defense. Two of those came to Wyoming’s Cincinnati Hills League rival Mariemont.
“Oakwood is a tremendous team,” Jones said. “They were ranked No. 2 in the state for a reason. They play a beautiful brand of soccer. They have high-level players. Our goal was to make them as uncomfortable as possible, to make them play in tight quarters, take them out of their game a little bit and make them adjust to us.
Said Sinigaglia: “The biggest thing was pressuring. Our strategy was to go after them, not sit back like a lot of other teams against them.”
The Lumberjacks had a pair of good chances late in the first half, but the match remained 2-0 at halftime.
With 12 minutes left in the game, an Oakwood shot hit the bottom of the crossbar and caromed back into the field of play, just avoiding crossing the goal line.
Six minutes later, senior Owen Vickers scored his 14th goal to make it 3-0. Oakwood scored after that to avoid the shutout.
Jones credited the team’s schedule for helping the Cowboys get through their tough regional foe after Madeira advanced to the Division III state semifinals earlier in the day.
“We play in a very difficult league and we have a tough out-of-league schedule,” Jones said. “The CHL is the class of Division II and III leagues in the state. Last year, you had Mariemont go 23-0 and win a state title. This year, you have Madeira playing in the state final four. Day in, day out, it’s battles and they prepare you for these big moments.”
Girls final: Wyoming 1, Badin 0
A few hours after Wyoming won the boys title, the Cowboys made it a clean sweep and will bring two trophies home from Beavercreek after Wyoming defeated Badin 1-0 in the girls regional final.
The boys team and their parents stuck around to make it an all-evening party for Wyoming.
“We had to win,” junior Peyton Kyle said. “We couldn’t lose after they won. It was a lot of pressure but it was more amazing that they won and we won and we’re moving on as a school. It means a lot.”
The first and only goal came 10 minutes into the second half when sophomore Allie Mouch lofted a pass to Kyle, who headed it in from close range just inside the post. It was Kyle’s 12th goal of the season and Mouch's team-high 19th assist.
“We had a couple of corners before that,” Kyle said. “I knew I had to get in front of the keeper if I wanted to get it in. Allie played a really great ball and I was able to get to it.”
Wyoming, 16-3-3, will face either Lancaster Fairfield Union or Bexley in the state semifinals Tuesday at site to be determined.
It was Wyoming’s 15th shutout, third in the postseason.
Badin suffered its first loss of the year, collecting 14 wins and six draws. The Rams had allowed only four goals all year until tonight.
The Cowboys struggled at times in the first half but started to click when Mauch began to. And they were able to get a rhythm on defense as well.
“Our girls recognized that she wasn’t getting the ball and when she did, she was changing the game,” head coach Sami Rutowski said. “She thrives on that energy and she thrives on her teammates believing in her. She got the assist and she probably could have gotten two goals.
“We struggled on defense a little bit because we were nervous but once we got through that, we played the rock-solid defense we’ve been playing.”
It adds up to more tailgate parties and possibly two championship celebrations next week.
“We had a lot of people come out and support us,” Kyle said. “All the parents showed up an hour or two before the boys game and they stayed the entire night. Each team was playing for Wyoming. I don’t think we would have won if we didn’t have all the fans here.”
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