43
The Skye’s the limit for Columbiana soccer
Kramer leads Div. III in scoring with 37 goals
By tim cleveland
Columbiana
However far the Columbiana girls soccer team advances in the Division III tournament, it will almost certainly be due to the scoring success of Skye Kramer.
Kramer, a junior forward, leads all Division III players in Ohio with 37 goals this season. She has scored all but 13 of the Clipper’ goals.
“It’s the team getting better as a whole; working with them and understanding and communication and relationships on and off the field,” Kramer said of her scoring success. “It helps the overall feel for the game. It’s a whole team effort.”
Tonight, Columbiana (9-6-2) will attempt to advance to the first district championship game in the program’s five-season history it plays Cardinal Mooney at 7 p.m. at Simon Soccer Park in Struthers.
“Skye came to Columbiana her sophomore year so she’s only played two years,” Clippers coach Darcy Quinlan said. “When she came she made an impact on the team. We’ve only had a team for five years now so it’s kind of new to get a player like Skye to transfer to our school; it’s a big deal for us. As a sophomore she broke every soccer school record so she’s adding to it her junior year.”
On Thursday, Columbiana won its first sectional title, a 2-0 victory over Crestview. It avenged a 1-0 loss to the Rebels in last year’s postseason.
“It’s a great experience,” Kramer said of advancing her team to districts. “I grew up in a bigger city. My freshman year was in a division that was like Division I here. We all know what we’re doing but we needed someone to step up and be a leader on and off the field and the seniors are doing that. It’s a great experience to help this team.”
With her team leading Crestview 1-0, Kramer iced the game with a goal in the final minutes.
“It was really a struggle; the field conditions were miserable,” Kramer said. “We kept fighting and it pushed me to put it in. It was nice to get that last one to push it in to clinch the game.”
“It was a mud game to say the least,” Quinlan said. “Every school we play always puts one player on Skye to follow her around. Even though it was in the mud she broke away and had probably eight or nine shots on goal. Toward the end of the game she scored to seal the game for us.”
Kramer is originally from Portland, Ore., and lived there until her family moved to the area before her sophomore year. Her father is a native of New Waterford and was a graduate of Crestview High.
In her first season at Columbiana, Kramer scored 24 of the Clippers’ 33 goals in leading them to a 9-8-0 record. She has improved her all-around game this year, dishing out 12 assists.
“She’s a great team player,” Quinlan said. “Even though she scored the majority of our goals she also had a lot of assists. She’s not a selfish player. She always wants to include her teammates. They’re playing a lot more pressure defense on her, so we need her to distribute the ball more.”
Tonight’s game will be an uphill battle. The Cardinals (10-6-1) are riding a 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1). Both Kramer and Quinlan said the Clippers will need to be at their best to have a chance at victory.
“We’d never won a sectional championship before,” Quinlan said. “It was our first tournament win and our first sectional championship. To have the chance to play in a district semifinal game is huge for the school and the program. Mooney is going to be a tough game. We need to play 100 percent to beat them.”
“It’s going to be nerve wracking and doable to win but it’s going to be a hard-fought game being they’re such a good team with strong players,” Kramer said. “We’re going to have to pull through and do our all because it’s going to be a tough game.”