Staff report
The Sidney Lady Jackets fell behind early, but dominated the rest of the way to hand Fairmont a 3-1 loss in Division 1 Sectional Tournament action Tuesday night at the high school.
The win put the Lady Jackets at 11-4-2 on the season and advanced them to a sectional semifinal matchup on Saturday against Xenia, also at home at 7 p.m.
Sidney and Fairmont tied 1-1 during the regular season, so a tough tournament opener was expected. But the Lady Jackets prevailed.
“Any time you have to play a team again that you tied — even one that you beat — the second game is a lot more difficult to win because they’ve had the opportunity to see the matchups, watch video, and come up with a game plan,” said Sidney coach Kevin Veroneau. “That’s pretty much what we did, and we gave the girls a very specific game plan. They they did a very good job of executing it.”
The Lady Jackets gave up a goal only 10 minutes into the game.
“They came out and scored pretty quick,” said the coach. “Fortunately, our players responded very well. The girls want to make sure they finish the season leaving their best game on the field.”
Elaine Wiesenmayer had two goals for Sidney and Emily Wiesenmayer had the other.
Both had assists, along with Jenna Foster-Wheeler, while goalie Carly Dean was credited with 12 saves.
For Emily Wiesenmayer, a senior, the goal moved her within one of the single-season school record. She now has 23 goals and the record is 24 held by Brittany Koester.
And Elaine, who is just a sophomore, now has 13 assists, and that’s just two off the school single-season record. In addition, she has scored 21 goals this season.
The Lady Jackets now face another team they played during the regular season in Xenia. The two squads met back on Aug. 29 in the second game of the season, and the Lady Jackets prevailed 3-2.
Xenia comes into the match 11-4-1 on the season and is the No. 7 seed. Sidney is seeded No. 5.
“It was a good, competitive game the first time we played,” said Veroneau. “They specifically chose the line in our bracket to face us, so we know they are coming after us. So we have plenty of motivation going into the game.”
Anna 3, Botkins 0
ANNA — Anna has a clear path to the sectional finals after a 3-0 victory over backyard rival Botkins in Division 3 girls soccer action Tuesday at Anna.
The Lady Rockets are 13-2-2 on the season after the victory, and take on No. 30 seed Indian Lake in the semifinals on Saturday at home. Anna is the No. 8 seed.
The Rockets were led by Abby Gaydosh, who finished with two of the goals against Botkins. Mackenzie Cummings had the other goal, and both Taylor Noll and Rylie Edwards had assists.
Savanna Hostetler had the shutout in goal.
Anna posted a 4-0 win over Botkins during the regular season. The Lady Trojans finish the season with a 2-12-1 record.
