South Range gets to state final on own-goal header
South Range headed to final after Archbold shoots goal into own net
By MARTY GITLIN
SANDUSKY
It was Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez who coined the legendary expression, “I’d rather be lucky than good.”
The South Range boys soccer team can identify. The Raiders spent nearly the entire Division III state semifinal Wednesday night on defense, trying desperately trying to keep Archbold from scoring. Then the Blue Streaks — from northwestern Ohio — finally did put one in the net.
Their own net.
And when the final second had ticked off the clock, South Range had emerged with a 1-0 victory and its first state final berth.
The Raiders (18-3) indeed found no rhythm offensively, but they pitched a shutout despite continuous pressure from the Blue Streaks. So South Range coach Joe Staffeld was not about to embrace the Lefty Gomez chestnut when it came to the performance of his players, who enjoyed plenty of amusement celebrating at Cedar Point Stadium.
“Last year [when the Raiders reached the regional finals] it felt lucky,” Staffeld said. “This year we feel like we earned the right to play here.”
Indeed, South Range advanced to the doorstep of state in 2014 after beating Beachwood on an own-goal after getting outshot 6-0. The Raiders were far more competitive this time around, though their lone score came off a header by Archbold defender Mike Weigand. After a free kick, the junior attempted to bump the ball back to goalkeeper Elijah Robison at 12:54 of the second half, but it landed in the right corner of the goal.
South Range counterpart Brant Rothbauer, who was stellar from beginning to end, did the rest. He continued to keep the Blue Streaks off the board until they were subdued.
“That was very difficult,” said the sophomore. “Especially after we scored because we had to lock down our defense. When the ball is in our half [of the field] 24/7, you have to focus, lock down and get the ball out.”
Rothbauer survived a couple harrowing moments early, but neither team strongly threatened early in the first half. Then Archbold (19-3) took control of the ball and maintained it, aside from a few minutes here and there. The Blue Streaks only outshot the Raiders 4-3 before intermission, but missed several other opportunities with shots that went awry.
“We were satisfied with 0-0 at halftime after what we had just witnessed,” Staffeld said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easier in the second half. We came out looking for some magic.”
Any thought that a strong wind going in Archbold’s direction in the first half played a factor in its dominance was discarded when it continued to control the ball thereafter. Its best shot came at 27:05, when sophomore midfielder Treven Kindinger nailed one from 20 yards out at point-blank range that hit the crossbar and bounced straight down.
The Blue Streaks continued to pressure Rothbauer until they fell behind. After taking the lead, however, the Raiders played lockdown defense. They continued to clear the ball as Father Time became an ally. Archbold never came close to scoring once South Range took the lead.
And because of it, the Raiders are headed to Columbus for the first time in school history. South Range will meet Summit Academy at 7 p.m. Saturday at MAPFRE Stadium.
“That’s pretty special for our soccer team,” Staffeld said.
That soccer team now has a chance to achieve something far more special.